


Forever Young

by tayryn



Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Character Death, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Inspired by Skyfall, Older Woman/Younger Man, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-05-22
Packaged: 2020-01-15 14:08:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 111,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18500563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tayryn/pseuds/tayryn
Summary: A day filled with bittersweet memories brings about a startling revelation, and returns to M something she'd thought lost decades earlier. Now she must figure out how to adjust to the changes brought on by this new discovery, while also dealing with a former agent hell bent on revenge.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this fic late 2016. Yes, it has taken me THIS long to finish it, as other fics demanded to be written, as well as several drabbles... but FINALLY, it is done. 
> 
> I'm not going to lie - this one takes a long, circuitous route to get where it's going. Another reason it took so long.
> 
> Hope you're up for the journey. :)

Sitting in her favourite over-stuffed chair, next to the imitation crackling fire, Olivia looked up from the file she was reading on her laptop with a thoughtful expression on her face, tilting her head to the side, listening carefully.

Seconds passed.

There it was again.

She smiled as she returned her attention back to the list of undercover agents, and waited.

Less than thirty seconds later, her patience was rewarded when a tousled blonde head appeared in her peripheral vision, peering around the corner.

“Good evening, Lacey,” she called out with a smile, her attention still on the report.

“Aw, Grandy, how did you know?” A young woman, about eighteen years of age, stepped fully into the room, then walked over and plopped down on the sofa across from Olivia, crossing her arms over her chest in an exaggerated pout.

“I heard you,” Olivia replied, looking up from her computer to smile at her granddaughter, once again marvelling at how much she resembled her grandfather. The thought sent an unusually strong pang through her heart, which she quickly suppressed. Now was not the time.

“How? I was extra careful this time. I even made certain to avoid that creaky floorboard in the hallway,” Lacey told her, gesturing absently in the direction she’d just come from.

“You should know by now that you will never be able to sneak up on me.”

Lacey sighed. “That’s what I get for having a super spy as a grandmother.”

“Hardly a super spy, dear,” Olivia remarked.

“I don’t know about that, Grandy, you _are_ the head of MI6. That’s pretty super, as far as I’m concerned,” Lacey retorted with grin.

Olivia chuckled softly. “If you say so.”

Lacey tilted her head to the side and regarded her grandmother for several moments. “Are you all right, Grandy?”

“Of course. Why do you ask?”

“You seem a little down,” Lacey told her.

“Do I?”

“Yeah. Yes,” she corrected herself at the pointed look Olivia shot her. “But you know, you always seem to be down around this time of year though. Why is that?”

Olivia sighed, then closed the file before removing the external hard drive from her laptop. She closed the laptop, as she was no longer paying attention to it, and placed it and the hard drive on the table next to her chair before meeting her granddaughter’s curious, worried gaze.

“You are far too perceptive for one so young.”

Lacey shrugged. “Who do you think I get it from?”

A soft snort of amusement escaped Olivia as she shook her head.

“You were thinking about my grandfather, weren’t you?” Lacey asked, following her grandmother’s gaze as it moved to the framed photograph on the mantel above the fireplace. Somewhat faded, it was of a young man in his early thirties with blond hair and striking blue eyes. The same hair and eyes she had inherited.

“Yes,” Olivia replied in a quiet voice, as she continued to stare at the photograph.

“Grandy? Is this when…?”

Olivia nodded. “Forty-one years ago today, I woke up to the news that your grandfather… that James was dead.”

Lacey felt an ache in her heart at the sadness she could hear in her grandmother’s voice and slid off the sofa to her knees. She shuffled the short distance across the floor to Olivia’s chair, and leant against her grandmother’s legs. She folded her arms across Olivia’s lap, then rested her chin on her arms, and looked up at the older woman.

“Tell me about him. Please, Grandy,” Lacey pleaded. “Mum won’t talk about him, except to tell me she doesn’t really know much about him because he died before she was born.”

“She’s right.”

“She never asked about him?”

“Once or twice after she learned that your Grandfather Reg was not her biological father,” Olivia replied. “But no, Amanda was never really curious about her father.”

Lacey made a face. “I don’t understand that. How can she not want to know about her own father?”

“She’d only be asking about someone she’s never met; someone she did not know; someone who is not even a memory for her. He died before she was born after all.”

“I guess I can understand that. But, I am curious about him,” Lacey stated matter-of-factly.

Olivia smiled, and reached out to brush an errant lock of blonde hair from her granddaughter’s forehead. “I am not surprised.”

“You’re not?”

“No.” She shook her head, then tilted it thoughtfully. “You remind me of him.”

“Because I have his hair and eyes.”

“That’s part of it, yes,” Olivia told her. “You have quite a few of his mannerisms as well.”

Lacey smiled at that, the thought pleasing her.

“So, what would you like to know?”

“Everything.”

“Everything?”

“Yes.” Lacey nodded. “How you met him. How you fell in love. Was it love at first sight? I know he was an agent at Six like you were, is that when you met him? Was he a good agent? What was he like?” It all came out in a rush. “I want to know everything, Grandy.”

Olivia continued to feather her fingers through her granddaughter’s hair, and her eyes took on a faraway look as she began to tell Lacey about James.

“I met your grandfather in nineteen sixty-nine, and it was most definitely _not_ love at first sight.”

Olivia smiled at the memory.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Sitting in the chair in front of M’s desk, Olivia began an internal count in an effort to keep her temper in check. Late yesterday afternoon, just as she was preparing to leave for the day, she’d received a call from M’s secretary advising her of the morning meeting scheduled with M, and warning her not be late.

Olivia had arrived five minutes early (as per usual).

She hadn’t known, however, until M had called her into his office, that a third person would be joining them.

The third person who had yet to arrive.

No sooner had that thought come to mind, Olivia heard the sound of M’s heavy office door opening, and watched as M’s head came up from the file he’d been reading – ignoring her in the process – and smiled. “Ah, 007, right on time.”

Olivia glanced at her watch.

10:17 am

The meeting with M had been scheduled for ten o’clock. 

She only just stopped herself from rolling her eyes. It was nothing unusual.

“Good morning, sir,” 007 said. “Sorry I’m late, I got hung up.”

M waved away his apology, then gestured to the second chair. “Have a seat, Bond.”

007\. Olivia had heard about him. Second youngest agent in the history of Six to be made Double-O.

She was the first.

“Now that you’re both here, we can begin,” M said, as he closed the folder, and regarded each of them. He looked at Bond, then gestured to Olivia. “Bond, this is Olivia Mansfield.”

“006.” Bond nodded, turning his head to look at her. “Yes, I’ve heard quite a lot about you. Not only the youngest agent to be made a Double-O, but also the first woman to do so. Impressive.”

Olivia inclined her head. “Thank you.”

James flashed her a brilliant smile.

Again, Olivia only just refrained from rolling her eyes. She knew it was meant to pique her interest, and was undoubtedly the same smile he used to disarm many a hapless female while in the field. Unlike those other women, however, Olivia could see the lack of any real emotion in his blue eyes.

Both turned back to their superior when the older man cleared his throat.

“Sorry, M,” Bond responded.

M merely shook his head, then tapped the folder in front of him. “What do either of you know about the Concorde?”

“Supersonic aircraft being built under the auspices of the British and French governments, due for its first test flight next month,” Olivia answered.

“Very good, 006.” M nodded his head. “Yes, our two governments have been working on this project since the early nineteen-fifties, and as you can imagine, quite a lot of money has been invested in this project.”

Both agents nodded.

“The project head, Dr. Dussault, has informed us that he’s received threats against the project.”

“The Russians?” Bond asked.

“Yes.”

Unconsciously, Olivia glanced at her fellow agent, and found him turning to look at her as well; the two of them sharing the same unsurprised look.

M continued, “Our intelligence suggests that there are factions planning to not only stop the test flight, but the Concorde project as a whole.”

“Makes sense,” Olivia commented. “Sabotage the collaboration between us and the French so they can build their own super sonic jet.”

M nodded. “Dr. Dussault has also mentioned that there have been several incidents. Machinery suddenly not working properly; key components going missing, turning up in pieces, things of that nature. “Which is why I am assigning both of you to this mission.”

“Sir, I --”

“The decision is made, 007,” M cut him off. “There are certain talents 006 possesses that you don’t, and vice versa.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Better,” M said, then pushed two folders across his desk toward them. “Your mission briefs.”

Bond reached out to grab the folders, handing one to Olivia. Both opened their folder, and scanned the information.

Olivia frowned.

“Something wrong, 006?”

“Is it really necessary for us to pose as a couple?” she asked.

M nodded, then held up his hand to stop her protest. “Yes. It will make things easier for you both while you’re there.”

She sighed internally as she nodded her acknowledgement. “Yes, sir.”

“Arrangements have been made for the two of you to arrive at the Toulouse site with a group of returning scientists and workers.”

“Won’t that be suspicious?” Bond asked.

M shook his head. “It’s not unusual for new personnel to arrive with returning staff.”

“When do we leave?”

“Tomorrow morning. Gives you time to familiarize yourselves with the information in your mission briefs.” He nodded toward the red folders in their hands. “In short, your orders are to find out who is behind the threats and sabotage, then stop them.”

Both nodded their understanding.

“007, you’re being assigned to work in the maintenance section, as that is where most of the incidents have occurred. A Doctor Thibault is in charge of that area. He is also the assistant head of the engineering department. The planned specifications for the new plane are in your brief. You are to keep an eye out for anything or anyone out of the ordinary.”

“Yes, sir.”

“006, you will be Dr. Lyons’ new assistant. He’s the lead Engineer on the project, and like 007, you are to keep an eye out for anything suspicious.”

“Yes, M.”

They discussed a few more things before M closed the folder on his desk, indicating the meeting had come to a close. “Report to Q division for your documentation and equipment.”

Olivia got to her feet, holding the folder to her chest, and inclined her head. “Sir.”

Beside her, standing as well, Bond gestured for Olivia to walk out ahead of him. She thanked him quietly, then crossed the office toward the door. “Sir.” She heard Bond say, followed by his footsteps behind her on the carpet.

Walking into the reception area, Olivia smiled at the tall, dark-haired woman sitting behind the desk. “Hello --”

“Moneypenny, my dear, how are you?” James called out, cutting her off as he stepped around Olivia to sit on the corner of the desk.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Wait! Moneypenny!? As in Eve?”

Olivia chuckled and shook her head. “No, dear. As in Eve’s grandmother.”

“Oh!” Lacey said. “I didn’t know that. What was she like?”

“Lois is a smart, strong woman, much like her granddaughter is, although she is not as rough around the edges as Eve is.”

“And she had a crush on my grandfather apparently.”

“Yes.”

Lacey lifted her head from her grandmother’s lap. “Did it bother you, Grandy!”

Olivia shook her head. “No. You forget, I did not even like your grandfather much at that point. We’d just met.”

“True,” Lacey acquiesced. “And after, when you did start to like him? Did it bother you then?”

Olivia shook her head again and smiled. “No.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“I’m not sure I’d be okay with that.”

“I was secure in the knowledge that your grandfather loved me, and that his flirting with Lois was harmless.”

“Was it for her?”

Olivia nodded. “Not long after that particular assignment, Lois met her future husband, and forgot all about your grandfather. It simply became a bit of fun between them.”

Lacey snorted. “Okay, back to your story. You’d just left M’s office, grandpa was sitting on Moneypenny’s desk flirting with her.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Moneypenny, my dear, how are you?” James called out, cutting her off as he stepped around Olivia to sit on the corner of the desk.

“Wishing I was going to France with you, James?” Moneypenny said, giving Bond a dreamy look.

Seeing Moneypenny’s expression, and the grin and wink James gave her in reply, Olivia rolled her eyes as she continued on her way. What on Earth did Moneypenny see in him, Olivia wondered, as she left the other woman’s office, and made her way to the lift.

Less than five minutes later, she stepped off the lift, and began to walk down the long corridor which led to the Quartermaster section of MI6. When she reached the secured door, she quickly keyed in her passcode on the keypad, then pushed open the door, and walked inside.

Olivia smiled at the sight of the various men and women hard at work on a variety of gadgets that helped agents like herself when out in the field as she wound her way through the crowded workshop, heading for the workroom of a particular Q branch agent.

Reaching the room in question, she rapped on the door, and heard a distracted call to enter. Opening the door, she peered in before stepping into the room, closing the door behind her, and leaning back against it.

“Hello, Geoffrey,” she said after a few moments of watching him tinkering around with something on the desk in front of him.

As if just realizing she was there, Geoffrey turned his head to look at her, then smiled. “Olivia. Hello.”

Olivia shook her head fondly, then crossed over to sit in the chair on the other side of his desk. “What are you working on?”

“A little something for you, my dear,” he replied, then held up a watch. “All the male agents have one, so I thought it was time you did as well.”

Olivia gave him a grateful smile. “What will it do?”

“I am hoping to incorporate a laser into it,” Geoffrey told her. “Unless you would like something else.”

“No. I think a laser would come in handy.”

Geoffrey nodded as he placed the watch back on his desk, and began tinkering with it once again. “So, what’s bothering you, my dear?”

Olivia sighed. “The assignment M gave me.”

“What about it? I thought you enjoyed being out in the field.”

“I do. It’s…” She sighed again. “It’s the agent M’s assigned to partner me.”

“Oh? Which agent?”

The door suddenly opened. “Geoffrey, you’ll never guess what M’s gone and done.”

Olivia frowned as she and Geoffrey turned to see James Bond standing in the doorway.

“Oh, I see,” Geoffrey said, glancing between the two of them, trying and failing to hide a smile.

“It’s not funny, Geoffrey.” Olivia scowled at him as he began to chuckle.

Boothroyd looked from her to a disgruntled James, and his chuckling gave way to an all-out laugh.

“Oh, do stop scowling, 007,” Geoffrey told him once he’d got his laughter under control. “And shut the door.”

With a frown still on his face, James shut the door.

“So, M has assigned you both to work together,” Geoffrey remarked, mirth still colouring his voice.

James made a disgusted sound as he sat on the stool next to Olivia. “Unfortunately.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Olivia retorted.

Bond looked at her. “Oh?”

“I know your reputation, 007, and I can’t say it fills me with optimism in regard to our assignment. You are much too unpredictable, and prone to going off script on a whim.”

“It’s called following your instincts; trusting your gut. You know, like a good agent does.”

Olivia’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, I understand that perfectly well. You, however, go too far, and that’s dangerous.”

“The danger is what makes it fun.”

“That is an irresponsible attitude.”

“The rumours about you are true it seems,” James muttered. “You really are a cold-hearted bitch, aren’t you?”

“Stop it, 007!” Geoffrey scolded him, then turned to Olivia. “He really is a nice chap, nothing like the arse he’s being now. Your Aunt Charmaine would be appalled by your behaviour, James,” he finished, looking back at the other agent.

Olivia watched as a flush of embarrassment suffused Bond’s face, amusement tickling her when it even tinged the tips of his ears.

“Have you given any thought to the idea that this is exactly what the higher ups want? You two antagonistic towards each other?” The Q branch agent looked back and forth between them both. “You two have far more in common than you realize.”

Olivia and James glanced at each other.

“You’re both orphans; you’ve both worked hard climbing your way through the ranks to become the youngest Double Os in SIS history. 006 having it doubly hard simply because she’s a woman. You’re intelligent, the two of you, witty, charming, etc. You should be working together, not antagonizing each other.”

Bond ducked his head, then closed his eyes and sighed; Olivia’s sigh echoing his. A few moments later, he opened his eyes and raised his head.

The two looked at each other once more.

Olivia was taken aback by the change in him. His face held a much softer expression now, his eyes filled with a respect and compassion that hadn’t been there just moments before.

“I’m sorry, 006,” James said with sincerity, his voice low. “Geoff’s right. I was not raised that way, and my Aunt would paddle my arse right now if she’d heard me speaking to you that way. It’s just…”

“…the work taking away our humanity,” Olivia finished for him, nodding her understanding. “Thank you, 007.”

James gave her a gratified smile. “James, please.”

“Olivia.” She smiled.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“That’s when you began to fall in love with him!” Lacey exclaimed, interrupting her grandmother’s tale once again.

Olivia laughed softly, shaking her head. “I didn’t know it then, but yes,” she nodded, “that’s when I began to fall in love with your grandfather.”

Lacey grinned broadly. “I knew it.”

Olivia chuckled again.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Better,” Geoffrey remarked with a satisfied nod. “Now you’ll be able to work together on your assignment.”

There was a knock on the door, halting any comment either had intended to make, and then the door swung open. An older man of average height, with greying hair stepped into the office carrying a medium-sized box.

“Ah good, 007, 006, you’re both here,” he commented, placing the box on Boothroyd’s desk. “Saves me the trouble of having to explain things twice.”

“Q.” Both agents greeted the older man at the same time.

He reached into the box and withdrew two British passports. “Here are your identities for your assignment.” He handed one to each of them.

Olivia opened hers. “Grace Edwards,” she read the name aloud. It wasn’t the worst cover name she’d been given.

“Stephen Gardner.” James waved his absently, before slipping the ID into his shirt pocket.

The Quartermaster nodded, the pushed the box toward Boothroyd. “I will let Geoffrey show you the rest. Good luck to both of you.”

“Thank you, Q,” they replied together, watching as the older gentleman left the office.

Thirty minutes later, Olivia and James left Geoffrey’s office – with the admonishment to bring back all the equipment; preferably in working order (Boothroyd had looked specifically at Bond when he’d said that) – and made their way out of Q division, then down the hall to the lift.

They waited in silence.

When the lift arrived, and the doors opened, James gestured for her to enter the car before him.

“I am sorry.”

Olivia turned her head to look up at her companion, as his words broke the silence in the lift.

“For my earlier attitude and comments,” he clarified at her confused expression.

“You’ve already apologized.”

“I felt the need to do so again. I really was acting like an arse.”

“Yes, you were,” she said lightly, smiling to show him her comment was without malice.

James chuckled. “Contrary to my reputation, I’m really not a bad guy, and my reputation is just that: a reputation.”

There was a weariness in his gaze as he said it, and Olivia began to wonder just how much of what she’d heard about him was the truth, and how much was just rumour.

She mentally chastised herself. She knew better than to listen to idle gossip.

“Well, Geoffrey likes you, so I suppose you can’t be all bad,” Olivia told him with an air of faux innocence.

James regarded her for a moment, then snorted. “He’s quite fond of you as well,” he pointed out.

“And I him,” Olivia replied. “He took me under his wing when I started working for the service, and needed a friend. Have you known him long?”

James nodded. “We attended Eton together,” he answered, then flashed her a sheepish smile as he admitted, “He took me under his wing as well. I’m afraid I was not a very good student.”

Olivia chuckled.

The lift stopped.

Both fell silent as the doors opened, and they exited the car.

“Will you join me in my office for a moment?” she asked him.

He nodded, and they made their say down the corridor.

When they reached her office, Olivia turned to him once he’d closed the door. “I was thinking, since M has deemed it necessary for us to masquerade as a couple on this assignment, that we should iron out a few details about our relationship. You know, the basic things: how we met, when we got engaged, things of that nature.”

“My favourite drink, and how you take your tea,” James finished the thought with a nod. “Good idea.”

Olivia smiled.

“Did you want to go out for dinner or…?” He let his question hang in the air.

“I was thinking we could just get some take away, and eat at my place. No unwanted ears listening in that way.”

“Makes sense. So, what would you like?”

“Do you like pizza?”

“I do.”

“There’s a little place near my flat that makes excellent pizza.”

James grinned. “What time?”

“Six-thirty?”

“All right.

Olivia stepped over to her desk, grabbed a pen and paper, and quickly jotted down her address. She handed it to him.

“Nice neighbourhood,” he remarked. “Would you like me to pick up the pizza?”

“That would be great, thank you,” Olivia replied.

James nodded, then moved to the door and opened it. “I’ll see you in a few hours, then,” he said, then left.

Olivia stared after him, a thoughtful look on her face.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Grandy!”

“What?”

“You invited him to your flat? I thought you said you weren’t interested in him at that point.”

“I wasn’t. I simply invited a colleague over for dinner to discuss our assignment.”

Lacey cocked her head to the side as she gave her grandmother a look. “You weren’t even a little bit attracted to him at this point?”

Olivia shook her head. For all that her granddaughter was a level-headed young lady, she was also a hopeless romantic. Not that Olivia could blame her; she was one herself.

Or at least I used to be, she thought. And then I lost James.

She rubbed her hand over her chest, the ache within growing.

“Grandy?”

Olivia blinked, then smiled at her granddaughter. “Sorry.”

“Are you all right?”

“Yes.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, Lacey.”

“Okay.” Lacey nodded. “So, are you going to answer my question?”

“Which question is that?”

“Grandy,” Lacey whined.

Olivia chuckled.

She did not want to admit to her granddaughter, that yes, much to her consternation, she had found herself growing attracted to James at that point. The sincerity of his apology that day in Geoffrey’s office had caused her to re-evaluate her opinion of him. She’d been given a glimpse of the man behind the agent, and she’d been intrigued by what she had seen. And that intrigue had both frightened and angered her. Frightened because of how swift and intense the feelings of intrigue and attraction had been, and angered for the same reason. Also, she had not wanted the complication of a relationship at that time in her career.

“If you must know, I thought he had a nice arse.”

Lacey wrinkled her nose. “Geez, Grandy.”

“You asked,” Olivia deadpanned.

“I did. And don’t think I haven’t realized that you are being evasive,” Lacey pointed out, “which means the answer to my question is yes.”

Olivia stared at her granddaughter.

“Am I wrong?”

Olivia shook her head as she sighed. “No. I had found myself growing attracted to him at that point, much to my dismay.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because I did not want to be attracted to him,” she answered honestly.

“Oh.”

Olivia could see Lacey did not fully comprehend her response, but did not elaborate further. As smart as her granddaughter was, Olivia wasn’t certain she would understand why her attraction to James had frightened her.

“Grandy?”

She shook her head. “It’s not important.”

“You’re doing it again.” Lacey gave her another pointed look.

A small smile played over Olivia’s lips. “Yes, I am. Would you like me to continue?”

Lacey sighed, then nodded.

“Are you sure now? You don’t seem as enthusiastic as you were earlier.”

“What happened over pizza?”

“Your grandfather and I shared our first kiss,” Olivia replied nonchalantly.

Lacey sat up, her eyes wide. “Grandy!”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Think that will be enough?” James asked, popping the last bite of crust into his mouth.

Olivia nodded. “We’ve kept the details to a minimum, and fairly close to the truth.”

“True.” He grinned, then reached for the now empty pizza box, and began folding it. “Where would you like me to put this?”

“Just leave it. I’ll take care of it.”

“My Aunt Charmaine would never forgive me if I did not do my part of the cleaning up.”

Olivia smiled, gathered up their plates, then stood. “In the kitchen, please,” she told him, leading the way.

“There was one other thing I think we should consider,” James said, as he placed the folded pizza box into the bin under the sink.

“What’s that?”

“Kissing.”

Olivia turned sharply to look at him. “I beg your pardon?”

“First kisses are always awkward,” he told her. “We should probably get that out of the way, don’t you think?”

She nodded slowly. It made sense, and yet…

“I swear I’m not trying to pull anything on you. But if we’re supposed to be a couple…”

“Then we should be familiar with each other.”

“Yes.”

She held his eyes a few moments longer before stepping closer, and smirking up at him. “You’re right. We should get it out of the way.”

James grasped her upper arms gently in his large hands, and then, as Olivia tilted her head back, he lowered his, pressing his lips to hers.

Olivia felt his mouth move against hers, his lips parting slightly to brush his tongue against her lips. She brought her hands up to cup his elbows as she angled her head slightly, then parted her lips, allowing him to slip his tongue into her mouth.

The kiss intensified.

Several moments later, they parted and stared at each other, panting softly.

“Now that we got that out of the way,” James murmured. He captured her mouth again. Releasing his grip on her arms, he slid one hand around to rest between her shoulder blades, the other cupped the back of her head.

Olivia dropped her hands from his elbows to his waist, before wrapping her arms around him, curling her fingers into his shirt, as she responded in kind to his passionate kiss.

Soft moans escaped them both.

The kiss slowly tapered off, and when it finally came to an end, Olivia and James let go of each other, and wordlessly took a step back.

“Well…” He cleared his throat. “I think we’ve got that sorted.”

“Yes,” Olivia agreed.

“I should probably be going then. I still need to pack some clothes.” James took another step back, then turned on his heel and walked back to the living room.

Olivia followed.

James grabbed his jacket from where he’d tossed it onto the back of the chair, then made his way to the door. Resting his hand on the door handle, he looked back at her. “So, I’ll swing round to pick you up at nine o’clock tomorrow morning.”

“Sounds good. I’ll be downstairs waiting,” she replied.

He nodded, opened the door, then before he walked through it, he turned to her again. “Oh, one other thing. Endearments.”

Olivia shook her head, not understanding what he meant. “Endearments?”

“Yes. You know, ‘honey’, ‘baby’, dear’, things like that. Is that something we’ll use with each other?”

“The occasional sweetheart would be acceptable,” Olivia answered him, then smiled. “However, if you call me baby, I will shoot you with your own gun.”

James chuckled. “Noted.”

Olivia smirked.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” he said. “Pleasant dreams, sweetheart.”

“Smartarse!” she called after him, as he pulled her door closed behind him. She shook her head when she heard him laugh, and could not help chuckling as well.

After locking the door, Olivia leant back against it, exhaling slowly. She licked her lips, a thoughtful expression on her face.

Her eyes closed.

“Shit.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“That was your first kiss?”

“Yes.”

“Was Grandpa a good kisser?”

Olivia smiled as she gave her granddaughter a wistful look. “He was a very good kisser.”

Lacey giggled softly, then sobered quickly as she took note of her grandmother’s expression. “I’m sorry, Grandy.”

“For what?”

“If talking about this is upsetting you.”

Olivia reached out, and cupped the side of Lacey’s face; a tender look on her face. “It’s not upsetting me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I loved your grandfather. I still love him, and I always will,” Olivia told her. “Talking about him doesn’t upset me. Not talking about him, not acknowledging that he existed or was such an important part of my life, that upsets me. That you want to know more about him makes me very happy.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Really,” Olivia replied. 

Lacey smiled. “Okay. Good.”

“Now, before I continue with the story, I would like to freshen up my tea. Would you like one?” Olivia said, standing.

Lacey scrambled to her feet. “Yes, I would.”

As they walked out of the living room, Lacey hooked her arm through her grandmother’s. “So… how good a kisser _was_ Grandpa?” 

Olivia laughed.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

_Average life expectancy of subject after re-animation: thirty-six hours._

_Deterioration typically begins at the thirty-four hour mark: organs fail. Death occurs within two hours._

He read the line again, then looked over at the timer he’d set up on the corner of his desk.

35:00

“Geoffrey?”

The old Quartermaster looked up at the call of his name.

So far so good, he thought, feeling cautiously optimistic.

“How much longer?

“A few more hours,” Q answered, and received a deep sigh in return. “I know it’s frustrating.”

“You have no idea **how** frustrating.”

Q nodded. “You know why I am making you wait.”

Another sigh. “Yes. I do.”


	2. Chapter 2

“So, the next morning,” Lacey began as she settled onto the sofa, tucking her feet up underneath her, while Olivia sat back in her chair. “Grandpa picked you up, you two went to the airport, then flew to France.”

“Yes.”

“Toulouse.”

“Yes.”

“Then what?”

“We met up with those scientists and workers returning from their break, as well as several new recruits,” Olivia told her. “We were taken on a bus to the facility where they were building the Concorde.” She took a sip of her tea. “We were given a brief tour of the job site, then they took us to the houses we would be staying in for the staying in for the duration of the project.”

“They gave you a house?”

Olivia chuckled and shook her head. “No. Several houses were rented for the various engineers, scientists, and support staff, and we were given rooms.”

“Did you and Grandpa…” Lacey’s question trailed off as Olivia shook her head. “Did you at least have your own room?”

“I had a lovely roommate named Gwen,” Olivia replied.

“Oh.”

Olivia chuckled.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“So, Grace, which part of London are you from?”

Olivia was just about to answer when the door to her room opened.

“Grace, sweetheart, I…” James stopped. “Oh! Sorry.” He looked back and forth between the two women. “I suppose I should have knocked first.”

Olivia chuckled as she walked over to him, slipping her arm around his waist as she rose up on her toes to kiss his cheek. “Yes, you should have. But you’re forgiven this time.”

“Thanks,” he replied, running his hand down her back apologetically. “I’ll remember for the future.”

“I know you will.”

“I take it you two know each other.”

Both turned to look at the tall, dark-haired woman standing next to the window.

Olivia nodded. “Gwen, this is my fiancé Stephen. He’s part of the maintenance staff. Stephen, Gwen.”

“Nice to meet you, Gwen.” James smiled.

“Likewise, Stephen.” Gwen returned his smile.

“Gwen is the personal assistant to Doctor Thibault,” Olivia told him, meeting his eyes.

“Thibault, he’s Doctor Lyons’ assistant.”

“Yes. Second in charge.”

“What’s he like?”

“Tough, but nice. Why?”

“I’ve been assigned to be his assistant,” James answered, then asked, “Do you like working for him?”

Gwen’s smile grew as she nodded. “Long hours, but I love it.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I’m studying to be an engineer myself, so this is good experience. Doctor Thibault is one of the top engineers in France, and has already taught me a lot. I’m very lucky to be working with him.”

James nodded.

“How about I let you settle in,” Gwen said to Olivia. “We’ll have plenty of time to get to know one another over the next few weeks.”

“Thank you, Gwen,” Olivia replied. 

“You’re welcome.” She stepped around them to the open door, then looked back at them. “If you like, we could change the sleeping arrangements so you two can be together.”

They looked at each other.

“Is that allowed?” Olivia asked, looking back at the other woman.

Gwen shrugged. “What they don’t know won’t hurt them. And that new guy, Gregory, is kind of cute. I wouldn’t mind getting to know him better.”

James chuckled.

“Think about it,” Gwen told them, before she turned, and left the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

Olivia turned to face James, and placed her hands on his chest.

They shared a look, then James reached into his trouser pocket, and pulled out a portable scanner. Olivia smiled, then gave his chest an affectionate pat. “Come on. You can help me unpack.”

They parted; Olivia stepping over to the bed where her suitcase lay open, and James slowly moving around the room with the scanner.

A few moments later, he pocketed the scanner, then joined her at the side of the bed. “The room’s clean.”

“Good. And yours?”

“Clean as well,” he replied.

She smiled. “Good. But we should still check every day.”

“Agreed.”

“So how do want to handle Gwen’s offer? While it would make it a little more convenient for us to talk…”

“It could limit us in other ways,” Olivia finished.

“Yeah.”

“Well, we could always just tell her we’ve decided to practice a little abstinence before the wedding to build the anticipation for our honeymoon.”

“But we’d still get to snog a little, right?” James asked, giving her a mock, leering grin.

Olivia laughed, and shook her head. “You’re terrible.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Oh my god!” Lacey exclaimed. “Grandpa was already falling for you!”

Olivia gave her granddaughter a fond look as she shook her head. “Highly unlikely.”

Lacey sighed; the sound coloured with exasperation. “Oh, Grandy…”

“Lacey, we barely knew each other.”

“So. You’ve already admitted that you were attracted to him at this point. Why is it so hard to believe that he could have been attracted to you as well?”

“Point taken.”

“Thank you.” Lacey grinned. “So, what happened next?”

Much to her chagrin, Olivia felt herself blush. “We did a little snogging.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Olivia moaned softly, the weight of James’ body pressing hers into the mattress, as they kissed hungrily. She felt him smile against her mouth, then deepen the kiss as he stroked his hand down her thigh, grasping her behind the knee and drawing her leg up.

Another, deeper moan escaped her when he pressed his thigh against her.

There was a brief knock on the door, followed by the sound of it opening. 

“Grace, Stephen, would you two… Sorry!”

They broke out of the kiss, both turning their heads to see an embarrassed Gwen standing in the now open door.

“I’m so sorry,” Gwen said again, and began backing out of the room.

“You’ve no need to apologize,” James told her, pushing himself off Olivia, then scrambling to his feet. He then helped Olivia to stand also. “If anything, we should be the ones to apologize.”

“Or to remember to lock the door,” Olivia quipped, leaning back against James, sighing happily when he wrapped his arms around her, resting his hands on her stomach. She covered his hands with hers. “It’s my fault. I jumped him.”

Gwen laughed. “Does this mean you’re going to take me up on my offer to switch rooms?”

“As generous as that offer is, no.” James shook his head.

“We’ve decided to…” Olivia paused, and glanced back at James, “hold off until our wedding night.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” Olivia nodded, then patted James’ hands. “It was Stephen’s idea.”

Gwen smiled. “Wow. That’s impressive. Most men I know would not voluntarily cut themselves off from having sex.”

“Anything to make the day more special for Grace,” he said, then chuckled. “As you can imagine, I’ve been taking lots of cold showers the last two weeks.”

“Coupled with several snogging sessions,” Olivia interjected, her eyes dancing with amusement.

“When’s the wedding?”

“Two weeks after our rotation here.”

“Four months!? Oh shit. That’s really impressive, Stephen.”

James looked down at Olivia. “She’s worth it.”

Olivia smiled, squeezed James, then turned back to Gwen. “You wanted to ask us something?”

“Yes.” Gwen nodded. “A few of us are heading into town for dinner; I wondered if you’d like to join us? A getting to know you dinner for all the newbies.”

Olivia and James looked at each other, then back to Gwen.

“We’d love to,” James replied, as Olivia nodded.

“Great!” Gwen exclaimed. “We’re leaving in five minutes.”

With that, she turned, and left.

Olivia glanced up at James, then elbowed him gently in the side when she saw the frown on his face. “Look at it this way, it will give us a chance to get a feeling for our roommates and co-workers.”

“True.”

Olivia stepped away from him in order to grab her handbag off the bed, then turned back to him, and slipped her hand into his. “Let’s go.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Am I boring you?”

Lacey blinked and met her grandmother’s eyes. “Sorry, Grandy.”

“I thought you wanted to know everything about how your grandfather and I got together.”

“I do,” Lacey replied. “It’s just…”

“You would like all the more exciting details.”

A sheepish look filled her granddaughter’s face as she nodded. “Yeah.”

Olivia gave her a pointed look.

“Sorry. Yes,” Lacey corrected, as she sat up on the sofa. “I do want to know everything, Grandy, but I am more interested in the personal side of things. I know both you and Grandpa were spies, and very good ones at that. What I want to know is when you realized Grandpa was the one. You said earlier that you couldn’t stand him at first. So, what happened to change that? It couldn’t have simply been because he had a good arse, and was a good kisser.”

“No. I didn’t fall in love with him because he was a good kisser,” Olivia said, then smirked. “Although, that was a point in his favour, as was having a good arse.”

Lacey laughed.

“So, you want the Cliff Notes version --”

“Of the assignment. Yes, please.” Lacey nodded. “I’ve already worked out that you and Grandpa were successful on your first assignment together.”

“Oh?”

“Grandy.” It was Lacey’s turn to give her grandmother a pointed look. “The Concorde flew successfully for many years, so it stands to reason you stopped the sabotage attempt.”

Olivia chuckled, conceding her granddaughter’s point with a nod. “Yes, we were very successful.”

“So, who ended up being behind the threats? Who was responsible for the sabotage? It wasn’t Gwen was it?”

“No. It wasn’t Gwen,” Olivia answered, then paused to take a sip of her tea. “All right, the Cliff Notes version.”

Lacey smiled.

“It took us a little over three weeks to discover who was responsible for the sabotage, and thus working for the Russians.”

“Three weeks! Really?”

“Yes. In some cases, missions can last upward of several months. Three weeks is considered a short assignment.”

“Oh. How’d you find out?”

“Well, it was a little difficult during,” Olivia raised her hands to make air quotes, “working hours, but I managed a little, however most of our snooping around was done at night.”

“Why at night?”

“Half staff in the engineering department.”

“That makes sense. And, _we_? You snuck out, too?”

“The first few times, yes, but then we realized one of us should remain behind.”

“So, your roommates wouldn’t be suspicious.”

“Yes.”

“But wouldn’t they have been if one of you was sneaking out of the room?”

“Yes. Which is why after the first week, we decided to take Gwen up on her offer to switch. It worked out well for everyone, as Gwen and Gregory had begun to see each other.”

“And Gregory was Grandpa’s roommate,” Lacey remarked, remembering what Olivia had told her earlier.

“Yes.”

“But didn’t she ask about your wanting to not have sex until you were married?”

“She did. We told her we were still doing that, but that we missed sleeping together.”

“Ah.” Lacey’s brow furrowed, then.

“What?”

“That seems awfully convenient, Grandy.”

“We thought so, too. So, we kept a close eye on them, but it quickly became apparent that they were just two people who hit it off.” Olivia paused, then grinned. “A little side note, Gwen and Gregory got married shortly after the Concorde project was finished.”

“Really?”

Olivia nodded. “Last week, Gwen emailed me the news they were preparing for the birth of their eighth grandchild.”

“Wow.”

“Indeed.”

“Okay, so you and Grandpa became roomies so he could sneak out at night. Is that when he discovered who the saboteur was?”

Olivia shook her head. “No, but he was able to prevent several instances of sabotage.”

“Really?”

“Yes”

“So, if Grandpa didn’t figure out who the saboteur was, then that means…” Lacey’s voice trailed off as her smile grew. “You did.”

Olivia nodded.

“How?!” Lacey’s eyes grew wide.

A wry smile formed on Olivia’s lips. “Quite by accident.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Oh, damn!” 

“What is it?”

“I forgot my briefcase,” Olivia answered her co-worker and housemate. “I need to go back for it. I promised Doctor Lyons I’d work on the latest reports.”

“Oh, Grace, it’s the weekend.”

“I know. But Stephen is working an extra shift tomorrow, so…” Her voice trailed off as she shrugged.

“Do you want me to wait for you?”

“No.” Olivia shook her head. “That’s all right.”

“Are you sure?” Patricia, a young, blonde French woman asked. “I don’t mind.”

Olivia smiled and nodded. “I’m sure. I’ll catch up. If I’m lucky, I’ll be back out before the bus gets here. But if not, will you let Stephen know what happened, and that I’ll be a little late.”

“All right.”

“Thank you,” Olivia said, then turned away and began walking back toward the building.

Ten minutes later she was in the building, riding the lift to the sixth floor where Lyon’s office was located. She sighed deeply as she leaned against the back wall. She and James were the two best agents in the British Secret Service, and yet three weeks had passed, and they were no closer to discovering who was behind the sabotage attempts.

She was frustrated, and knew James was as well. Both were anxious for this assignment to be over.

The lift stopped, and Olivia pushed those thoughts aside even as she pushed herself away from the back wall of the lift. 

Stepping out of the car, Olivia made her way down the darkened hallway to the office she shared with Patricia and a couple other girls.

Reaching the office, she pushed the door open, stepped inside, then stopped.

The light in Lyons’ office was on.

She frowned.

The older engineer rarely worked late. At least here. He was usually down in the hanger, physically working on the Concorde.

Curious, she crept silently across the larger office toward the smaller one. As she neared the door, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, as she heard a vaguely familiar voice speaking Russian.

“I need a little more time.”

Olivia stepped carefully around her desk, and listened carefully.

“I don’t know, but I suspect Dussault called British Intelligence.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Wait! You speak Russian?”

Olivia nodded. “I speak several languages.”

“Wow. I knew you spoke French, but I didn’t know you spoke several languages, Grandy. That’s very impressive.”

Olivia smiled. “Thank you.”

“So, you heard someone speaking Russian, and then snuck up to the door.”

“Sneaked up,” Olivia corrected her. “And yes.”

“Who was it?”

“Doctor Thibault.”

“No way! The one Grandpa and Gwen were working for?”

“Yes.”

“Oh shit!” Lacey exclaimed. “So, then what happened?”

“Well, once I was able to see that it was Thibault, I turned to leave, and as clichéd as it sounds,” Olivia told her, “I bumped into my chair.”

“Oh no.”

“Oh yes,” Olivia said, shaking her head at the memory.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“I suspect agents have been sent, though I don’t know for certain. If they have been, they most likely came in with the last rotation of staff.”

There was a pause in the conversation, and Olivia watched as a dark look came to Thibault’s face.

“Don’t worry. After tonight, it won’t matter who was sent, be they British or French Intelligence,” Thibault said, still in Russian. “I’ve rigged an explosion in the main engine that will derail the project permanently.”

I need to warn Doctor Dussault, Olivia thought to herself. But first, I need to get out of here.

With that thought, she turned on her heel, and bumped into her desk chair.

The chair banged into the desk.

“Someone’s here! I’ve got to go.” She heard Thibault say, then heard the phone drop into the cradle.

“Shit! Olivia swore under her breath, as she scrambled around the desk and ran toward the door.

“Stop right there!” Thibault shouted.

Olivia ignored him, and pushed through the door.

A shot rang out.

The glass door shattered behind her.

Her heart racing, Olivia ran down the hall.

She heard Thibault swear angrily, then give chase, his footsteps heavy behind her.

“Stop, I said!” Thibault shouted again as Olivia reached the lift doors.

Another shot rang out just as she reached the door leading to the stairs, missing her head by mere inches, and hitting the door.

“Fuck!” Olivia swore loudly, as she pushed the door open and hurried through it, racing down the stairs.

Reaching the first bend in the stairs, she startled when she heard the door crash open. She missed a step, but caught herself before she could fall, and continued hurrying down them, Thibault thundering after her.

Another shot rang out, ricocheting off the railing.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Oh my god, Grandy, he shot at you!?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t even… oh my god!” Lacey’s eyes were wide with disbelief and shock. “Wait a moment,” she said, her expression changing to one of confused curiosity. “I thought all agents carried a gun.”

Olivia shook her head. “I didn’t.”

“Why not?”

“I wasn’t a very good shot,” she admitted with a wry grin. “I preferred to use a knife.”

Lacey’s mouth fell open. “You kept a knife in your handbag?”

“No.” Olivia shook her head. “I kept a knife strapped to my thigh.”

“Damn.”

Olivia chuckled.

“Were you good with it?”

“Very.”

“You are something else, Grandy,” Lacey said with a grin. “So, how did you get away from Doctor Thibault?”

“I didn’t actually.”

“What?”

“I didn’t.”

“You mean he caught you?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

Olivia sighed.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Olivia quickened her pace, hurrying down two more flights of stairs before ducking through the door on the fourth floor. She knew there was a second stairwell located on the other side of the building, but she also knew she would not make it.

Her best option, she realized, would be to hide in one of the workrooms.

She hurried down the hall, staggering briefly and bumping against the wall next to the lift.

The first door she tried was locked, as was the second. She was reaching for the third knob when Thibault burst through the door into the corridor.

“Stop right there,” he demanded.

With a deep sigh, Olivia dropped her hand from the door knob, and turned to face him.

“Who are you?” Thibault asked, holding his gun on her.

“Oh! Doctor Thibault! It’s you,” Olivia said, feigning ignorance and surprise. “I didn’t realize.”

Thibault’s eyes narrowed. “Who are you?” he asked again.

“Grace Edwards. I’m Doctor Lyons’ assistant. We’ve met several times the last few weeks, Doctor.”

He shook his head. “Who are you really?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“I am in no mood for games. Who are you? Which agency do you work for?”

“I… I don’t understand. Agency? I am Doctor Lyons’ assistant.”

Thibault’s mouth set in a firm line, and Olivia realized he did not believe her.

She needed to get away.

But how? That was the question.

The door behind her was locked, and while he had proved to be a lousy shot thus far, being in closer proximity to Thibault would greatly improve his chances of actually shooting her.

She had her dagger, of course, but with Thibault so close, his gun trained on her, there was no way for her to get to it.

She needed a distraction.

The lift dinged, signalling its arrival.

Thibault turned instinctively.

It was all the distraction Olivia needed.

She slipped her hand beneath her skirt, and retrieved the slim blade strapped to her thigh.

The lift doors opened, but no one appeared, and Olivia realized she’d pressed the button when she’d bumped into the wall.

Thibault turned back toward her, a smirk on his face.

Olivia let the knife fly.

Thibault yelled as the blade sank into his right shoulder. “Bitch!” he swore, reaching for the dagger.

Olivia bolted, darting around Thibault, and heading for the lift.

“Oh no you don’t!” Thibault shouted, as he turned on his heel, letting the bloody knife fall to the floor, and raised his injured arm.

He fired the gun.

Olivia cried out as the bullet hit her left arm. She stumbled, then tripped, falling just in front of the lift. As she scrambled to get back to her feet, James stepped out of the lift, his gun clasped firmly in his hands; raised and ready.

He pulled the trigger, shooting Thibault’s gun out of his hand.

The weapon fell to the floor with a clatter.

An enraged scream filled the air, and Olivia watched as Thibault charged James, reaching for James’ gun as he tried to knock him over.

Olivia found herself holding her breath as the two men wrestled. Her eyes dropped suddenly, when in the midst of the struggle, her dagger was kicked across the floor toward her.

She picked it up just as James managed to pull back far enough to swing his arm, catching Thibault with a firm uppercut. The older man’s head snapped back, and with a groan, he crumpled into a heap on the floor.

Olivia closed her eyes, and leaned back against the wall, clutching her wounded arm. It did not feel like the bullet had entered her arm, but it had done some damage if the pain and blood were any indication.

“Are you all right?” A large hand lightly grasped her right elbow.

She opened her eyes to find James looking down at her in concern. She nodded. To her surprise, James lifted his hand from her elbow, and brushed the backs of his fingers against her left temple.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” she answered. “It’s just flesh wound.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” he said, then surprised her again by gently tugging her close.

Even more surprising to Olivia, she went willingly into his embrace, laying her head on his shoulder. “Thibault?”

“Unconscious.”

At that, much to her dismay, she sagged against him, suddenly feeling exhausted. “How did you know?”

“I finished early, and decided to surprise you at the bus stop. I was there waiting when Patricia arrived, and she told me you’d gone back for your briefcase,” James explained, rubbing her back.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Oh, that’s so sweet!” Lacey cried softly.

“Yes, it was,” Olivia agreed with her granddaughter.

“But why dismayed, Grandy?”

Olivia shook her head. “What?”

“You said you were dismayed when Grandpa took you in his arms after knocking Doctor Thibault out. Why?”

“Did I?”

Lacey nodded.

Olivia tilted her head thoughtfully. “I suppose I felt I should have been stronger than that.”

“And not some helpless female.” Lacey said, making air quotes around the last two words.

“Something like that, yes.”

“Oh Grandy!” Lacey shook her head. “You had been chased, shot at, and very nearly killed. I think, under those circumstances, you were allowed to seek comfort in the arms of the man you loved.”

“I was not in love with your grandfather at that point.”

“Grandy!” Exasperation coloured Lacey’s voice, as she gave her grandmother a pointed look.

Olivia sighed. “Perhaps I was, but I still was not aware that I was.”

“Better.” Lacey smirked. “So, then what happened?”

“We handed Thibault over to Dussault and the French authorities. After that, we collected our things from the flat, and returned to London. We were debriefed by M, and then we were sent home.”

“I hope you went home together.”

Olivia shook her head.

“Oh, Grandy, no…” Lacey said sadly, her face crumpling.

“Lacey, you keep forgetting, your grandfather and I hadn’t admitted anything to each other yet.”

“No. No, I know that, but surely you had some idea. After all, you said you realized you were attracted to him before he came to your flat with the pizza, and then again after that first kiss.”

“No. I admitted to you in the course of the story that I’d realized now what I hadn’t then; that I had begun to fall for your grandfather.”

“Oh, yes. Right.” Lacey’s shoulders sagged.

Olivia smiled fondly at her granddaughter. “You, my dear, are a hopeless romantic.”

“No, Grandy. I’m a hopeful romantic,” she countered with a grin, causing her grandmother to chuckle. “Okay, you two did not go home together. Who made the first move, then? And how long did it take?”

“Technically your grandfather made the first move.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” Olivia nodded. “We returned to England on the Friday. Saturday, we had our post-mission physicals, followed by our debrief with M, and then we were given a week off.”

“And Grandpa showed up on Sunday,” Lacey said.

“No. Tuesday night actually.”

“Tuesday!? Really? That long?”

“Yes.”

Lacey opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again seconds later without saying anything.

Olivia smiled.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Olivia sighed as she tossed the book onto the coffee table.

She’d lost interest in it.

Glancing over at the clock, she sighed again.

9:30pm

That’s all it is, she thought.

She glanced around her living room; briefly contemplating the television but dismissing that idea. There was nothing on she wanted to watch.

She’d already taken a nice, long bath earlier, hoping it would relax her, and help her sleep, as she’d not slept well the last couple nights.

“What is wrong with me?” she asked the empty room, as she got to her feet, then began to pace the room.

She felt anxious, restless, and…

“Lonely,” she whispered.

Olivia frowned.

Being alone had never bothered her. In fact, she relished her alone time. That wasn’t to say she did not enjoy spending time with friends, but more that she was simply comfortable in her own company.

So then why was she feeling this way now, she wondered.

The answer came to her just as there was a quiet knock on door.

Olivia crossed the room, peered through the peephole, and felt her heart suddenly begin to race. She unlocked the door, then slowly opened it.

“James.”

“Oh, were you heading for bed?”

She glanced down at herself when he gestured at her attire. She blushed softly as she shook her head. “No. I took a bath a short while ago, and it just made sense to…” She tugged on the hem of her nightie.

“Oh. Good. I mean, I’m glad you’re not… that is…” He paused, and she watched his ears begin to pink.

Olivia felt herself growing amused.

In the three and a half weeks they’d spent together on assignment, she had never seen James so unsure of himself, and at a loss for words. He was James Bond, after all. His reputation was of the suave, sophisticated man of the world, capable of wooing any woman he wanted.

“I know I should have called instead of just showing up unannounced.”

Olivia shook her head. “It’s all right. Would you like to come inside?”

“I would, yes.”

She smiled, then stepped aside to allow him to enter.

“Thank you,” he said, brushing past her into the flat.

Olivia closed the door, then turned to find him standing close, looking thoughtfully at her. “James?”

James took a deep breath, then said quietly, “I missed you, Olivia.”

“I’ve missed you, too.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” she replied.

James smiled, and Olivia’s breath caught in her throat. It was not the smile he used on his marks, but a soft, almost bashful smile that caused her stomach to flip. He raised his right hand and brushed the backs of his fingers lightly against her left temple, and whispered her name.

“I’ve fallen in love with you,” he told her, lowering his hand. “I know it’s crazy, and that we’ve only known each other a short time, and most of that time was spent together on assignment. But it’s true. It’s why I stayed away these last couple days. I needed to be certain. I needed make sure that what I was feeling was real, and not just adrenaline-fueled lust.”

Olivia nodded. It was not an uncommon occurrence in their line of work. Many agents ended up in bed with either the agent they’d been assigned to work with, or some other warm body involved with the assignment; keyed up and needing an outlet for all the pent-up energy.

“It _is_ real,” James said. “I love you.”

A warmth spread through her at his words, and without saying a word, Olivia closed the small gap between them. She reached up to grasp his face in her hands. “I love you, too,” she whispered, as she rose up on her toes, and kissed him.

She smiled against his lips when she felt James’ hands on her waist pulling her closer as his lips parted beneath hers, allowing her to deepen the kiss. All of a sudden, Olivia felt her world spin, then found herself pinned against the wall.

Arousal rose swiftly as James pressed his hard body against hers, and kissed her hungrily. 

“I want you,” James murmured against her lips, stepping back just enough to lift her off her feet, then press her back against the wall.

Olivia wrapped her legs around him, winding her arms about his shoulders, and burying her fingers in his thick hair. “God, yes!” she moaned, then gasped when he thrust against her. “Right now,” she told him, reaching between them to pop the button on his jeans.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Whoa! Wait! Stop!”

Olivia looked at Lacey, biting back a smile at the almost mortified expression on her granddaughter’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“I really don’t want to hear about you and Grandpa having sex up against the wall,” Lacey replied.

The smile broke free, along with a sharp, amused laugh.

“I mean… I think it’s great, but I don’t want, or need, to know the details.”

“All right.” Olivia nodded, still smiling.

“So, you two finally had sex,” Lacey said, with an exaggerated shudder and a smirk that made Olivia chuckle again. “Then what happened?”

“We spent the rest of the week together,” Olivia replied. “We talked, learning more about each other; who we were for real as opposed to secret agents. We discovered each other’s likes and dislikes, or at least some of them.” A small smile touched her lips. “I learned how his parents had died.”

“How?”

“Skiing accident.”

“Ouch. How old was he?”

“Eleven.”

“Oh, that is young.”

“Yes, it is.”

“So, what happened to him after that?”

“He was taken in by his Aunt Charmaine. She was an incredible woman. Tough as nails, and equally as loving. And she was very good to me when your grandfather died.”

“In what way?”

A fond smile came to Olivia’s face. “She adopted me,” she said with a soft huff of laughter.

Lacey smiled at that. “Had you met her before Grandpa died?”

“No.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

As the memorial service came to an end, Olivia remained behind, and stared at the plaque on the wall.

A plaque.

She frowned.

There was no body - the lab explosion and resulting fire had seen to that – so no burial.

Just this brief memorial service to honour James and Q.

They had been the only casualties.

Olivia reached out, tracing her fingers over the raised letters of James’ name.

“He loved you.”

Olivia’s hand fell to her side as she turned sharply at the quiet voice to find an attractive older woman with dark blonde hair and vivid blue eyes standing next to her.

“I didn’t mean to startle you, dear.”

“You’re James’ aunt,” she said. “Charmaine.”

The older woman nodded. “And you’re Olivia, James’ fiancée.”

Olivia shook her head. “I’m afraid we never made it that far.”

Charmaine reached out to grasp Olivia’s left hand, and raised it. She tapped the sapphire ring gracing Olivia’s third finger. “This would suggest otherwise. This was my mother’s ring.”

“When I woke up from the coma, it was on my finger,” Olivia began. “But James… he hadn’t…” She shook her head.

Charmaine squeezed her hand, then patted it. “It’s okay, dear. I know. I’ve spoken with Geoffrey. Believe me when I tell you, you are James’ fiancée. He rang me up last month, and asked me to send him the ring; told me he’d finally found the woman he wanted to marry.”

“He did?”

“Yes,” Charmaine replied, then slipped her arm through Olivia’s, and began leading her away from the memorial wall. “Come along, dear. Let’s have a nice cup of tea, and get to know one another better, shall we?”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Lacey smiled. “She sounds like a lovely woman.”

“She was.” Olivia nodded. “But we’ve jumped ahead of the story.”

“Oh! Right. You and Grandpa spent the week together, then what?”

“We went back to work, and were given new assignments.”

“Together or…?” Lacey asked, her voice trailing off as her grandmother shook her head. “Oh. How long did they last this time?”

“Mine took about a week; your grandfather’s a few days more.”

“And when you were both home again --” 

“We were together, yes.”

Lacey smiled. “So, then what happened?”

“We were sent on another assignment each. And it was after that one, that I was hit by a taxi, and ended up in a coma.”

“Holy shit, Grandy! When you said you’d woken up to the news that he’d died, I thought you meant, you know, that you’d just woken up in the morning.”

The corner of her Olivia’s mouth turned up slightly. “I know.”

“Well, before you tell me about the accident, I need to pee,” Lacey told her, as she uncrossed her legs, then stood. “I’d also like another cup of tea. Would you like a refill?”

Olivia shook her head. “A glass of water would be nice though.”

“All right. I won’t be long.” She grabbed both tea cups, and rushed out of the room.

Olivia closed her eyes, and sighed.

_“I want you.”_

The memory of James’ voice whispered in her mind, and she lifted her fingers to her lips. The touch of his lips against hers was nothing more than a ghostly feeling after all these years, and yet… and yet, when she wanted to remember, she _could_ still feel his kisses.

She opened her eyes, and looked at the photo on the mantle.

Without making a conscious decision to do so, Olivia stood and stepped over to the fireplace. She reached up, and took the photo down from the mantle. 

_“Right now,” she told him, reaching between them to pop the button on James’ jeans, then lowered the zipper. She slipped her hand inside, and eased his swollen cock out from the confines of his jeans._

_“Olivia!” James groaned as she stroked him, and his hands clenched on her hips as he shifted closer. “Your knickers?”_

_“I’m not wearing any,” she replied, guiding him into position._

_“I am so glad to hear that,” he said, as he thrust his hips and pulled her down onto him at the same time._

_“James!”  
“Fuck!”_

_They cried out at the same time._

Olivia released a shaky breath with the memory of her and James’ first time.

They’d been frantic for each other. Both coming hard and fast within minutes.

She smiled, remembering how apologetic James had been; swearing up and down how he’d been unable to help himself for want of her.

_“I’m sorry,” James panted into her neck, where his face was buried. “I’m sorry.”_

_“For what?” she asked, trying to catch her breath also._

_“I should have made it better for you. I couldn’t help myself.”_

_Olivia laughed._

_“I’m serious.”_

_“I know, but you’ve no reason to be.” Olivia combed her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. “We were both anxious.”_

_“True.” James raised his head, and gave her a wry smile. “I’m still sorry.”_

_Olivia shook her head. “Just look at it this way, now we can take our time,” she said, and watched his eyes grow dark and smoky._

_“I like the sound of that.”_

Olivia traced her finger over James’ features in the photo.

After having had sex up against the wall, she and James had made their way to her bedroom. They’d spent the next several hours making love before falling asleep in each other’s arms.

The next morning, they’d made love again. Then, as she’d told Lacey, they’d spent the rest of the week together.

She touched the photograph again, then placed it back on the mantle. 

“Oh, James…” Olivia sighed, as she wandered back to her chair, and sank down onto the soft cushion. “I miss you.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Geoffrey read the file again, his attention focused on that one particular line. The line that was giving him hope as he glanced at the timer once more.

37:30

Three and a half hours past the mark.

“Geoffrey?”

“You’ve got half an hour left, then I will make the call.”

A deep sigh was his response. “All right.”


	3. Chapter 3

“So, Grandy,” Lacey began, curling her legs beneath her, “tell me about you being hit by a taxi. When did that happen?”

Olivia took a long drink of water, then lowered the glass, holding it in both hands as she rested them in her lap. 

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Explain to me again why we couldn’t just stay in to eat lunch?”

“Because neither of us have any fresh food in our flats.”

“Good point. But why couldn’t we just get some take away? I was looking forward to being alone with you.”

“We are alone.”

“Olivia,” James said, with a pointed look.

Olivia laughed softly, as she glanced around the restaurant – they were only one of four couples there - before meeting his gaze once again. She leaned forward on the table. “I promise to make it up to you when we get back to my place,” she said in a low voice, giving him a heated look.

James leaned closer, then reached across the table to cover her hand with his. He grinned. “I’m counting on it.”

She smiled, and laced her fingers with his. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too,” James replied, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. “You look tired. Was it a rough assignment?”

“Not especially, no.” She shook her head. “Yours appears to have been though.”

He reached up to finger the bandage on his right temple. “It’s just a scratch,” he told her. “Though if you’d like to play doctor later, and give me a thorough physical, I wouldn’t object.”

A peal of laughter escaped her.

James grinned.

“Honestly though, James,” Olivia prodded once her laughter quieted. “Were you badly hurt?”

“No.” He shook his head. “Just a few bruises, and the cut,” he gestured to his head, “that required a couple stitches.”

Olivia nodded, accepting his answer.

They sat in silence, James continuing to stroke the top of her hand.

“What’s on your mind?” he asked a few moments later.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

“And don’t say nothing. I know better.”

Olivia smiled. “I’ve been giving serious thought to --”

“Are you ready to order?” The waitress suddenly appeared at the table, cutting Olivia off.

Olivia waved away the woman’s apology, as James gestured for her to order first. “I’ll have the Fettucine Alfredo with extra sauce, and the house salad with Italian dressing.”

“Very good. Would you like the salad first?”

“Yes, please.”

The waitress nodded, then turned to James. “And for you, sir?”

“I’ll have the Fettucine as well, and also the beef tenderloin,” James told her.

“How would you like that cooked?”

“Medium well.”

“And would you like a salad also?”

“Yes. The same.”

The waitress smiled, gathered the menus, then left.

“You were saying?”

“I’ve been thinking about the future.”

“What about it?”

“I want more than this, James.”

“More than what?”

“I want more than just being a secret agent,” she said quietly, conscious of the other patrons in the restaurant, few though they were.

“For a second there, I thought --”

“Oh no!” Olivia squeezed his fingers, which were still entwined with hers.

His eyes filled with relief.

She smiled tenderly at him. “I know neither of us was looking to be in a relationship at this point in our lives, given our line of work, but I wouldn’t change this, change us, for anything. I love you, James.”

“I love you, too.” He lifted her hand to press a kiss to her knuckles. “We’re just so new…” His voice trailed off. “I guess I’m afraid you’re going to wake up one day and realize you can do so much better.”

Olivia shook her head. “Not going to happen.”

James smiled, but before he could say anything, their waitress appeared with their salads. When they were alone again, James asked, “I thought you liked being a Double O.”

“I do. I just… I want more,” she told him. “I’ve been thinking about this for some time. We both know what the life expectancy is for a Double O.” He nodded. “And even if we should make it to the mandatory retirement age, who knows what shape we’ll be in.”

“That’s true. So, what more do you want? Station Head? M?”

“Yes.”

“You want to be M?”

“Yes, I do.” Olivia nodded. “What do you think?”

“I think you’d make a damn fine M.”

“Thank you.” A light blush coloured her cheeks.

“I mean it.” James brushed his foot against hers under the table, as he took a bite of his salad. “And I will be there to support you every step of the way.”

“That means a lot.”

He nodded, then ventured quietly, “Olivia, I’m not ready to stop. I enjoy what I do.”

Olivia swallowed her mouthful of salad. “I know. I wouldn’t ask you to.”

“Even knowing…”

“Yes. Even then.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Even knowing what?” Lacey asked.

“That on occasion he would have to sleep with a mark to obtain needed information.”

Lacey’s eyes grew wide. “You were okay with that?!”

“Yes,” Olivia replied. “As a Double O, we used every tool in our arsenal, including our sexuality.”

“You mean you… you slept with total strangers?”

Olivia nodded. “Of course. For most agents, having sex with a mark was usually a last resort. Many times, simply seducing the information out of them was all it would take.”

“And by seduction, you mean…” Lacey gestured for her grandmother to fill in the rest.

“Lots of kissing, heavy petting, and occasionally oral sex.”

“Oral… blow jobs?”

“Yes. You would be amazed at how much information a man will spill under those circumstances,” Olivia replied.

“And in the case of male agents?”

“Depending on the circumstances, they would service either sex. Just as the female agents would.”

“Oh.” Lacey looked thoughtful.

“And you before you ask, no. I never had to seduce a woman,” Olivia told her. “But I would have if the situation had called for it.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“That’s cool, Grandy,” Lacey said. “So, you guys had lunch, talked about work, and then you said you were hit by a taxi?”

“Yes.” Olivia nodded. “Sadly, I cannot tell you more than that. We left the restaurant, and just as we stepped outside, your grandfather realized he’d forgotten his sunglasses, and had gone back in to fetch them. I don’t remember stepping off the pavement into the street, but apparently I did, and that’s when I was hit.”

“Oh my god.”

“I woke up a month later, and that’s when I learned your grandfather was dead.”

“How did he die?”

Olivia sighed.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Her eyes fluttered open, then quickly closed again against the lights shining brightly overhead. They opened again seconds later when she realized there was something in her throat.

“Easy. Take it easy, Olivia,” a familiar voice spoke softly as she began to panic. “Don’t fight it! Let the ventilator breathe for you.”

Olivia nodded slightly, as she focused on Geoffrey’s face, and forced herself to calm down, letting the machine control her breathing.

“Good girl.” Geoffrey patted her hand. “Stay calm. I am going to get the nurse to come remove the tube. Just let it do the work, all right?”

She nodded again, then heard Geoffrey leave.

She was in hospital, she realized.

Why? What happened, she wondered.

The last thing she remembered was James going back into the restaurant for his sunglasses.

James!

Her eyes darted around the room.

Where was James?

He couldn’t be on assignment? Could he? Not when she was lying in a hospital bed with his…

Her hand wandered to her stomach.

Oh please, she prayed.

Just then, the door opened, and a nurse rushed into the room, Geoffrey following close behind.

“Welcome back,” the nurse said with a smile, as she leaned over her, and began to carefully remove the tape holding the breathing tube securely between her lips. “Now, I want you to relax,” she said, once she had all the tape removed. “I am going to slowly remove the breathing tube. I need you to exhale as I do, then once it’s out, take a slow, deep breath. All right?”

Olivia nodded.

Seconds later, the tube was out, and she was breathing on her own. After a couple small sips of water, she turned to Geoffrey. “James?” she asked, in a hoarse, scratchy voice.

When he wouldn’t meet her eyes, Olivia knew.

She knew, and in that moment, she felt her heart shatter.

“Tell me,” she whispered.

“I’m afraid your conversation will have to wait,” the nurse said. “The doctor will be here any moment to check you over.”

Olivia glared at the woman, then looked back to Geoffrey. She had to know. “Geoff…” she called, reaching out to him with her left hand.

She stopped, and brought her hand closer to her face.

On her third finger, her ring finger, was a sapphire ring. It was a very simple, very elegant design: a round cut blue sapphire, surrounded by a halo of small diamonds, set in a filigree band.

She looked sharply at Geoffrey.

He simply nodded, but said nothing as Doctor Hartnell entered the room.

“It’s good to see you back with us, 006,” Hartnell said, then looked at Geoffrey. “Would you excuse us for a few moments, Q, I need to examine this young lady.”

“Of course,” Geoffrey replied, ignoring the surprised look Oliva gave him. “I’ll wait in the hall.”

Alone with the doctor and nurse, Olivia met the doctor’s eyes. “Did I lose…”

Hartnell shook his head. “No. It’s fine.”

Olivia breathed a deep sigh of relief.

“Let’s begin your check up, shall we?” the Doctor asked.

Olivia nodded.

Fifteen minutes later, Hartnell made some notes in his file, then closed it, and smiled at her. “Well, I have to admit, I am quite pleased to have been proven wrong.”

“What do you mean?” Olivia asked him.

“I did not think you would wake from the coma. You were hit by a car, and suffered a traumatic brain injury. We performed surgery to relieve the pressure, but when you did not wake after forty-eight hours, we began to worry. After four days, even more so. We held out hope as long as you registered brain activity, but the longer you lingered in the coma, the more that hope dwindled.”

“Both Q and 007 spent every free moment they had --” 

“That will be all, Kelly,” Hartnell cut her off.

Kelly’s eyes opened wide with mortification as she glanced at Olivia. 

Olivia’s face had crumpled at the mention of James, the ache in her heart growing. She needed to know what had happened to him.

“You know?” the doctor asked, seeing her face.

“Not the specifics, but yes,” she answered quietly, then turned to the nurse. “Can you please send Geoffrey back in?”

“Of course,” Kelly replied, then left the room.

“I assume Bond is --”

“Yes.” Olivia smiled sadly.

The door opened, and Geoffrey walked into the room.

“How is she, Doctor?”

“She should make a full recovery.”

Geoffrey grinned. “I am so glad to hear it.”

“I will leave you two alone,” he said, patting Olivia on the shoulder. “Welcome back, Olivia.”

Olivia watched him leave, then fixed Geoffrey with a sharp look. “Tell me.”

Geoffrey sank down in the chair beside her hospital bed. “You were hit by a taxi.”

“I know that,” Olivia told him. “I want to know what happened to James.”

He sighed. “A week after the accident, when you still hadn’t woken up, James began to convince himself that you weren’t going to wake up, and the doctor’s lack of hope did not help. That’s when Q approached him with an offer.”

“What kind of offer?”

“To be a guinea pig. It seems Q has been experimenting with Cryonics.”

“Cryonics? Freezing people?”

“Yes. And, he’d reached the human testing stage.”

“So, he decided to use James’ fears about me to get him to volunteer,” Olivia said in a flat voice.

Geoffrey nodded sadly. “He promised James he would bring him out of it after a month, or if you woke up before then. Whatever came first.”

“Then from what you’ve said, it’s only been three weeks since James went into the…”

“Cryotube,” Geoffrey offered.

“Yes. So, that means…” Her voice trailed off as Geoffrey shook his head. “But you just said --”

Geoffrey cut her off. “There was an explosion in Q’s lab three days ago. Both James and Q were killed.”

Olivia closed her eyes.

“What caused it?” she asked quietly.

“They’re still trying to determine that.”

She nodded her understanding. “And the ring?”

“He slipped it on your finger the day he went into the cryotube. He said it was a promise.”

“Oh.”

“I tried to stop him,” Geoffrey told her. “I begged him not to do it, especially after Q would not let me see any of his notes. I wanted to see the progress he’d made; make sure it was safe. But James was determined to do it. If you weren’t going to be awake, he didn’t want to be either.”

Tears welled in Olivia’s eyes.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Here.”

Olivia blinked to find Lacey leaning toward her, holding a box of tissues. It was then she realized tears were trickling down her cheeks. She pulled a couple tissues free, and wiped the tears away, then dabbed her eyes.

“Oh gosh, Grandy,” Lacey said quietly, sitting back on the sofa. “How awful.”

Olivia blew her nose, and nodded. “In those first few minutes, I’d honestly wished I hadn’t woken up.”

“What changed?”

“I was pregnant with your mother.”

“Oh! That’s right!” Lacey remarked. “Grandpa didn’t know, did he?”

Olivia shook her head. “My assignment ended a week before his, and as is standard procedure, I had my post-op physical, which for me included a pregnancy test.”

“You weren’t on the pill?”

“No. I could not tolerate the hormones,” she answered. “And I could not always get the marks I had to sleep with to wear condoms.”

“Then how did you know for certain mum was Grandpa’s?”

Olivia smiled. “Because I had not been with anyone a month before sleeping with your Grandfather, nor while on any of the assignments that followed.”

“Good reason.”

Olivia chuckled and nodded. “I found out the morning of the accident, and had planned to tell James that night.”

“But then…” Lacey trailed off with a profound look of sadness on her face. “What happened next?”

“I was released from Medical a few days later, and a couple days after that was the memorial service for James and Q.”

“And that’s where you met Grandpa’s Aunt Charmaine.”

“Yes.”

“So, when did you marry Grampa Reg? And were either of you aware he was gay when you got married?”

“Yes, we were both aware he was gay. It’s actually why we got married.”

“Huh?”

“At that time, homosexuality had only been decriminalised two years earlier, however, it was still frowned upon in general society.”

“That’s… how can being gay be illegal? That’s fucked up, Grandy.”

“Yes, it is.”

“I’m glad things are better now, though we still have a long way to go.”

“Yes, we do.”

“So, you and grandpa Reg got married because he was gay, and you were pregnant?”

“Not quite. I’d already given birth to your mother when we got married,” Olivia told her. “I was an unmarried, single mother looking to move up the ranks of the SIS. Reg was a gay man with the same ambition. Both lifestyles at that point were still frowned upon by the higher ups, and much of society still, then. But at the time it made sense, and solved a problem for both of us.”

“That makes sense,” Lacey said. “And Laurence? You knew that he and Grandpa Reg --”

“Were lovers? Oh yes.” Olivia nodded. “It was my suggestion that he come live with us. He was an excellent cook, great housekeeper, and he was very good with your mother when she was a baby. And it allowed them to be together while the façade of our marriage appeased those in charge.”

“When did mum realize Grandpa Reg wasn’t her biological father?”

“We told her when she was ten.”

“Did she take it well?”

Olivia nodded, then smiled wryly. “When we’d finished telling her, she told us she’d always known.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“And, she wasn’t all that curious about Grandpa. I still don’t get that.”

“I think somewhere deep down she was. But she was angry with him, too.”

Lacey shook her head. “Okay, so when did you and Grandpa Reg tie the knot?”

“Six months after your mother was born.”

“Then you worked your way up through the ranks, becoming Station head in Hong Kong in…?”

“Nineteen eighty-four. Your mother was at school, and Reginald opted to stay here as well,” Olivia explained.

“Did you like it there?”

“I did. I missed your mum of course, as well as Reg and Laurence, but yes, I did enjoy most of my time in Hong Kong,” Olivia said.

“What?” Lacey asked, when she noticed her grandmother’s eyes grow sad for a moment.

Olivia shook her head.

“Grandy.”

“Just remembering an incident involving one of my agents,” she told her. “And don’t ask, I cannot tell you.”

“All right.” Lacey nodded. “And --”

Olivia’s mobile suddenly rang, cutting Lacey off. She shot her granddaughter an apologetic look as she picked up the phone, and answered the call.

“Can it wait?” Olivia asked the caller, glancing at her watch.

Lacey watched her frown, then nod her head and sigh.

“All right. I’ll be there shortly.” She ended the call, then turned to Lacey.

“I know. You have to go.”

“Yes. You’re welcome to stay the night if you wish,” she said, as she placed another call.

“Thanks, Grandy. I think I will.”

Olivia smiled, her attention switching to her mobile. “Richards, can you please bring the car around. I need to go in to the office.” There was a short pause. “Thank you.”

She disconnected the call, then stood, slipping the phone into her skirt pocket. She grabbed her laptop and the external, then walked out of the room, Lacey following.

“There’s leftover take away in the fridge if you’d like to heat it up. Just be sure to clean up afterwards,” Olivia told her, placing the computer in her briefcase sitting on the hallway table, then swung the large painting hanging above the table away from the wall to reveal a wall safe.

“Thanks,” Lacey said, averting her eyes as her grandmother keyed in the combination on the keypad. “I’ll do that.”

Olivia placed the external hard drive into the safe, then closed the door and locked it. She pushed the painting back into place, then grabbed her jacket and pulled it on.

“I don’t know how long I’ll be, so don’t stay up too late.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Her car was out front.

“I’m sorry our evening got cut short,” Olivia said, giving Lacey a hug.

“It’s all right, Grandy.”

“Hopefully I will be back before you leave in the morning.”

Olivia hugged her again, then released her. “Lock the door.”

Lacey nodded.

Olivia grabbed her briefcase, opened the door, then left the flat.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“It’s been an hour and a half.”

“I know.”

“You said you’d call her an hour ago.”

“After the test results.”

“Which just came back fine. You said so yourself.”

“It’s late. Can you not wait till morning?”

“No. Geoffrey, please. You promised.”

Geoffrey sighed, then nodded and reached for his phone. Lifting the handset, he pressed the speed dial, then brought the phone to his ear.

“Ma’am, it’s Q,” he said when the call was answered. “I know it’s late, but I need you to come in to Q branch.” He paused. “No. No, it can’t wait. It’s important.” Another pause. “Thank you. See you shortly.”

He placed the handset back in the cradle, then looked up.

“She should be here in about twenty minutes.”

“Thank you, Geoffrey.”

“You’re welcome. Just… it’s going to be quite a shock for her.” The old Quartermaster got to his feet, and walked around his desk. “For both of you.”

“I know. I’m prepared for that.”

“No.” Geoffrey looked at his old friend, and shook his head. “I don’t think you are, 007.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because JustAnotherUnderstudy asked... :)

Olivia stepped off the lift, then strode purposely down the corridor toward Q branch. Pushing through the double doors, she then wound her way through the various benches and work tables to Q’s office.

“All right, Q,” she said, entering his office. “What’s the emergency? I was enjoying a lovely visit with Lace…” her voice trailed away.

She shook her head at the sight before her.

Standing in front of Q’s desk, beside Q was…

He hadn’t aged a day, looking as young and handsome as she last remembered seeing him that afternoon at the restaurant.

“No!” she whispered. “James?”

“Hello, Olivia.”

Olivia gasped.

It had been forty years since she’d heard his voice, and the sound of it brought tears to her eyes. She shook her head again in disbelief. “You… no. You can’t be. You’re dead.”

James slowly walked toward her, and Olivia found herself backing away until she backed herself up against the door, and could go no further. James stopped just in front of her, close enough that she could feel the heat of his body.

Olivia was shaking, and her eyes filled with tears, as he raised his right hand and brushed the backs of his fingers lightly against her left temple, whispering her name. “…Olivia.”

“J… James? Is it really you?”

“Yes, sweetheart,” he said softly, cradling her cheek as he stepped closer. “It’s really me.” He lowered his head to brush his lips against hers.

“Oh god.” Olivia’s eyes closed as he repeated the feather soft touch, and breathed his name, “James.”

“It’s me,” James whispered again, then pressed his lips more firmly against hers.

She whimpered, her mouth opening under the gentle pressure of his, and laid her hands on his chest, curling her fingers in the scrub shirt he wore. She felt his free hand on her waist, then at the small of her back as he gently pulled her closer.

She was dreaming.

I must be, Olivia thought as James’ tongue lovingly explored her mouth, then resumed stroking hers once again.

His lips left hers, moving lightly over her cheeks. “Olivia,” he murmured, kissing away the tears that were spilling down her cheeks. “My Olivia.”

“James,” she managed just before his mouth covered hers again, kissing her even more deeply than before.

When the kiss finally ended, Olivia buried her face in James’ chest. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him in a fierce embrace, still convinced she was dreaming.

His heart. She could hear his heart beating beneath her ear. It had been so long since she’d been able to listen to the comforting sound. 

Fresh tears filled her eyes as she raised her head and looked at him. “How?”

It was then she noticed that Geoffrey was now standing beside them, a box of tissues in his hands. “You told me he’d died in the explosion.” She grabbed two tissues. “How is this possible, Geoffrey?”

“I truly believed he had,” Geoffrey replied. “You know if I had known the truth, I would have told you. I would not have kept something like this from you.”

She nodded. She did know that.

“Perhaps we should let Geoffrey explain,” James suggested.

Olivia looked up at him, and unable to resist, she reached up to touch his face. She traced her fingers over his cheeks, around his eyes, then down his nose to his lips. “It looks like old Q was successful. You look exactly as I remember,” she said softly, then looked over at Geoffrey. “Yes, I think you had best explain.”

James squeezed her fingers, and gently tugged her with him, as he began backing toward Geoffrey’s desk. “Come on, let’s sit down.”

Once they were seated – Geoffrey in his chair behind his desk, Olivia and James on the small sofa pushed up against the wall – Olivia met the Quartermaster’s eyes.

“All right start at the beginning. Tell me how this happened. Where did you find the cryotube?”

“Churchill’s old bunker. The one you asked me to look into and ascertain if it was still viable for use as a temporary base in the case of an emergency.”

Olivia nodded. She had asked him to do that, something in her gut telling her they would need it. “It was there?”

Geoffrey nodded. “There was an envelope sealed in a plastic bag attached to the cryotube. Inside was a letter from Q addressed to me. In it he explained that he had a very bad feeling that he was being watched and that something was going to happen, which is why before the explosion in his lab, under the cover of night, he moved James here.”

“So, the lab explosion wasn’t due to faulty equipment as was surmised.”

“It does not look that way now,” Geoffrey replied.

Olivia’s eyes suddenly narrowed. “I asked you last Friday to look into the bunker on Monday.”

“That’s right.”

“You started Monday, and found James then?”

“Yes, I di…” Geoffrey stopped, and he swallowed hard at the look on her face. He knew that look. He’d been on the receiving end of it many times over the years – before and after she’d become M.

M was not pleased. At all.

“You’ve known for a week that James was alive, and you’re only telling me now?”

“Yes,” he said. “But I can explain.”

“You can explain keeping me in the dark about something this important?!”

“Olivia,” James murmured, squeezing her hand, which he had never released. “Let him explain his reasons.”

“What reason could there be?” she asked, looking at him.

“I didn’t want to hurt you.”

Her eyes snapped back to Geoffrey.

“You didn’t want to hurt me? You thought keeping this from me wouldn’t hurt me?”

“If I hadn’t been able to revive him, yes. If he hadn’t lived beyond the thirty-six hours that all of Q’s past subjects had lasted, yes. I had to be certain he was going to survive,” Geoffrey explained. “I couldn’t, as your oldest friend, put you through the grief of losing him all over again.”

Olivia nodded slowly. “I appreciate you not wanting to cause me any further pain, but did it ever occur to you to give me the choice?”

Geoffrey shook his head. “No. And to be honest, I did not believe there was a choice. If James had not survived the reanimation process, if he had died within the thirty-six hours, then you would never have known anything.”

“It’s a moot point now,” James said. “I did survive, and you’re here now.” He squeezed Olivia’s hand again. “That is what matters. Geoffrey did what he thought best. Not out of malice or cruelty, but out of genuine concern for you.”

“I know. But what about you?” Olivia asked. “You just went along with it?”

“You know me better than that,” James replied. “From the moment I woke up all I wanted was to see you. I was desperate to see you.”

“Then why?” She couldn’t quite hide the hurt in her voice.

“When Geoffrey told me how long it had been since I’d gone into the damned cryotube, and how upset you’d been when you were told I was dead, his suggestion made sense. Because I knew, no matter how much I ached to see you again, and how much I needed to hold you, that I could not put you through that pain again. Even if my not surviving was just a possibility.” James stroked the back of her hand. “I changed my mind a dozen times, because at the very least, we would have had a day together. Enough time for me to hold you again, to tell you how much I love you, and to apologize to you.”

“Apologize for what? You have nothing to apologize for.”

“But I do. I gave in to my fears of losing you, believing you wouldn’t come out of the coma, and because of that, we lost forty years,” he said. “Years we could have been together, had a family.” James stopped, and gave her a curious look when a strange expression flashed across her face. “What?”

“We have a family,” she answered quietly.

“What?!”

“We have a family, James. We have a daughter,” Olivia told him. “And we have a granddaughter.”

“I have a daughter?” 

“Yes.”

“That means…” He reached out with his free hand, and placed it on her belly. “Did you know that afternoon? Is that why you were talking about resigning your license?”

“Yes, I knew that afternoon, and that was only part of the reason. I truly had been thinking about it, about wanting to become M, for a while before that.”

“Which you achieved, I see.” James grinned. “I knew you’d make it to M.”

“Geoffrey told you?”

“Sort of. He introduced me to the internet, and I found out.”

Olivia turned to Geoffrey. “The internet? He wakes up after forty years, and you show him the internet?”

Geoffrey shrugged.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“I’ve changed my mind.”

Geoffrey looked up from the gadget he was working on. “What was that, 007?”

“I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to wait. Call Olivia. Now.”

Geoffrey glanced at the timer on the corner of his desk.

24:00

“It’s too soon.”

“Geoff…”

“James, we agreed to wait the thirty-six hours until the danger has passed.”

James planted his hands on the desk, and leaned closer. “I know, but I’ve changed my mind. I need to see her.”

Geoffrey shook his head. “We’ve been over this.”

“I know,” James repeated with a sigh. “And I don’t want to put her through that again.”

“Then we’ll wait as agreed.”

James kicked the desk in frustration before turning and stomping over to the sofa, and dropping down onto the cushions with a huff. “Christ, this is so bloody frustrating!”

“I know it is,” Geoffrey replied.

“Not only can I not see the woman I love, I am so damn bored.” His head fell back against the sofa, and he exhaled loudly.

Geoffrey regarded him for several moments, then slowly pushed his chair back and stood. He grabbed his computer off the corner of his desk, then walked over to sit next to James. He patted James’ knee. “Here, sit up.”

James did as Geoffrey told him, gesturing to the laptop. “What’s that?”

“This is a computer.”

“Technology has certainly improved the last forty years,” James remarked. “The last computer I saw filled a room.”

“You’ve not seen anything yet.” He smiled. “Now, pay attention, 007. I’m going to show you something that will allow you to catch up a little.”

Geoffrey opened a browser window.

“What is it?”

“This, 007, is the World Wide Web, or as it is more commonly known, the Internet,” Geoffrey told him. “At the click of a mouse, you can look up information from anywhere in the world.” He clicked a link. “For example, this is the website for the SIS.”

“You said the whole world can see this?”

“Yes.”

James frowned. “Why would the Secret Intelligence Service have a webpage? That is what you called it, right?” Geoffrey nodded. “Wouldn’t that be counterproductive where foreign intelligence is concerned?”

“You would think so. However, the existence of the SIS was officially acknowledged in nineteen ninety-four when the Intelligence Services Act was introduced.”

“What’s that?”

“Tell you what. I’ll bring up the webpage, and you can read all about it,” Geoffrey replied. He did that, then handed James the computer. “Here.”

James stared at the screen for several moments, then drew his finger over the touchpad. “How do I get back to the SIS site?”

“Navigate your cursor here.” Geoffrey pointed to a particular tab. “Very good,” he said when James clicked on it and brought the page up. “What are you looking for?”

“I don’t know yet,” James answered. He moved the cursor to the drop-down menu. “Let’s see what our mission is, then.” He clicked on the option which stated Six’s mission statement.

He scrolled slowly as he read, then stopped.

“Oh my god,” he whispered, reaching out to touch the screen. “Olivia.”

Geoffrey looked at the monitor, and sure enough, there on the screen, next to the title ‘Our Chief’ was Olivia’s picture. “How did you know it was her?”

“I’d know my Olivia anywhere,” James said. “My gods, she’s still so damn beautiful.” He traced her image on the monitor. “She made it. I knew she’d make M.” He turned to Geoffrey. “Is she good?”

“Yes. She’s very good.”

“I told her she’d make a great M.”

Geoffrey smiled. “One of the best Six has ever had, and I’ve served under three of them before her.”

James sighed.

“What’s wrong?”

“I need to see her, Geoff. I need to tell her I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

“For abandoning her.”

Geoffrey’s brow furrowed. “You did not abandon her.”

“Didn’t I though?”

“No.” Geoffrey shook his head. “Q used your feelings for Olivia against you. He used your fear of her not waking up to talk you into participating in his experiment.”

“And because of that, I lost four decades with the woman I love. I wasn’t here to watch and support her as she rose through the ranks here. I missed so much.”

“I know.”

James slumped back against the couch. “Please, Geoffrey.”

“Soon, James.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“I’m sorry, Olivia.”

“I told you, you have nothing to apologize for.”

James shook his head.

“James. Stop. There’s nothing we can do about it now. Beating yourself up about it is not going to help anything.”

He nodded slowly, his eyes filled with extreme sadness. “I know. I still can’t help feeling that I let you down. And because of that I missed so much of us.”

“You didn’t let me down,” Olivia told him, curling her fingers tighter around his. “You did what you felt you had to do, what you felt was right at the time with the information you had on hand. You weren’t to know this would happen.”

James sighed, nodding absently. “I’d like to go home now.” He stopped, then snorted softly. “Well, if I had a home.”

“Of course, you have a home.” She turned to Geoffrey. “Has he been checked out by Medical?”

“No. I’ve run a few tests, mostly blood work, myself, but that is all. I wanted to keep contact to the absolute minimum.”

Olivia nodded her approval. “Very good. I believe Aiken is on duty tonight.” She returned her attention to James. “I want the doctor to look you over, then I’ll take you home.”

“All right. Thank you, Olivia.”

She smiled, then stood. “Q, please let Doctor Aiken know we are on our way.”

James got to his feet as Geoffrey replied. “Will do. Do you want me to tell him about 007?”

“Yes. Tell him what happened, and how you found him. Were James’ records digitized into the system?”

“I believe they were, yes.”

“Good.” Olivia stepped over to Geoffrey’s desk, and placed her hands on the surface, leaning closer. “I expect a full report on my desk in twenty-four hours detailing everything that’s happened this past week since your discovery of James’ cryotube.”

“Yes, M.”

“I’m still upset you kept me in the dark as long as you did, Q.”

“I know.” Geoffrey nodded.

“However, I know why you did it.” She glanced over at James, then back to Geoffrey. She gave him a small smile. “Thank you,” she said softly.

“M.” He acknowledged her with a brief, respectful nod.

Olivia straightened up, then crossed the room to where James was waiting by the door. James looked back at the Quartermaster. “Thank you, Geoffrey.”

“You’re welcome, James.”

The two shared a look for several seconds, then James turned and followed Olivia out of Q’s office.

They walked in silence, moving through the main section of Q branch, and down the corridor to the lift. It wasn’t until they’d entered the lift, and Olivia had pushed the button for the appropriate floor that James spoke.

“We have a daughter?”

“Yes.” Olivia nodded, lifting her head to meet his eyes. “Her name is Amanda. Amanda Charmaine Bond. Correction. Amanda Whitemore. She’s married.”

“Is he a good man?”

Olivia smiled. “He is.”

“And you said we have a granddaughter.”

“Lacey. Yes. She’s seventeen, soon to be eighteen.”

“Will you tell me all about them once we’re out of here?”

“Of course,” Olivia replied as the lift stopped.

“Thank you,” he said, as the doors opened.

Olivia turned to him. “They’re your family, James.”

“Our family,” he corrected her, his eyes once more filled with sadness.

She laid her hand on his chest. “James don’t.”

He sighed and nodded.

“Come on,” she said, stepping out of the lift. “The sooner we see the doctor, the sooner we can leave.”

“Lead the way,” James said, falling into step beside her as she began walking down the corridor.

Minutes later, pushing through a set of double doors, they entered Medical where a tall, thin man in his late forties was waiting.

“Good evening, ma’am,” Aiken greeted her, then nodded to James. “You must be 007.”

“I am, yes,” James replied.

“Q has briefed me on Mr. Bond’s status.”

“Good. I want you to give him a complete physical. I want to know how being kept in that cryotube for so long has affected him.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Olivia nodded. “Very well. I shall return shortly.”

James reached out to grab her hand. “Where are you going?”

“My office,” she replied. “There’s an ongoing operation I need to check on. I had planned to call in for a status update, but since I am here, it just makes sense. I won’t be long.”

James sighed and nodded, absently stroking her hand. He looked down suddenly, then back up to meet her eyes. “You’re still…” He brushed his thumb over the sapphire ring gracing her ring finger, the same finger he’d placed it on forty-one years earlier.

Olivia nodded, then said softly, “I’ve never taken it off.”

“You never…” His voice trailed off as she shook her head, and he smiled.

“Let Doctor Aiken check you over, please,” she implored him.

James nodded, let go of her hand, then turned to the doctor. “Okay, Doc, let’s get this over with.”

Olivia watched them walk away toward one of the examination rooms, then turned herself, and left medical.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Tanner looked up, his face registering surprise, as Olivia strode into the office.

“Ma’am, what are you doing here?”

“Q asked to see me.”

“Is something wrong?”

“No. Just complicated. I will fill you in later, once everything’s been sorted.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Tanner nodded. “I gather you would like a status update.”

She smiled. “I would, yes.”

Tanner pulled the satellite images on his computer, then turned his computer so she could see the screen. He pointed to a red moving dot. “The hard drive is currently making its way across Romania,” he told her. “It left Pitesti half an hour ago, heading for Bucharest.”

“Looks like he’s heading toward Turkey.”

“That would be fortuitous. We could send a couple agents to intercept him in Istanbul.”

Olivia shook her head. “No. We need to know who is behind all this; who convinced Tate to grab it.” She began to pace, drumming her fingers on her thighs. “The most obvious answer is that Tate will be handing the drive over to someone else, and it’s this someone who will lead us to whomever is behind all this.” She paused. “All right. Send Ronson. Have him shadow Tate. He is not to engage him, simply observe and follow. Hopefully Istanbul is the drop off point.”

“Who do you want to send as back up for Ronson?” Tanner asked, turning his computer back to face him.

“Eve.”

“Eve?”

“Yes.”

“You’re going to let her try for Double O status?”

Olivia nodded. “Eventually, yes. She needs a little more field work under her belt first before I even think of assigning her her first kill. This is a good opportunity for her.”

“Good choice. I’m sure she will appreciate it.”

“I will let you coordinate that.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Remember, they are not to engage Tate or whoever he meets up with unless they are given no alternative.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Tanner said again, already making the necessary arrangements.

“Thank you, Bill.” Olivia gave him an appreciative smile as she walked past him and into her office. She grabbed her briefcase and jacket, slinging the latter over her arm, then walked back out. “I’m heading back down to Medical, then home once more,” she told him. “Once you have made the arrangements for Ronson and Eve, go home. You need rest, too.”

“Medical? I thought Q had asked to see you.”

“That is part of the complicated.” She regarded her Chief of Staff for several moments before deciding to tell him. “Forty-one years ago, there was an explosion in the lab at the headquarters.”

“I’ve heard of that,” Tanner said. “An agent, 007 I believe it was, along with the Quartermaster were killed in the explosion.”

“That’s correct.” Olivia nodded. “At least that’s what we have always been led to believe.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It turns out that agent did not die after all.”

“What?”

“James Bond, 007, is alive.”

“How is that possible?” he asked.

“007 had been put in a cryogenic sleep.”

“I always thought cryonics was a fad. And outside of that one American back in the Sixties, I did not think anyone took it seriously.”

“Charles Newman, who was Q at that time did. He was a brilliant man. He’d been experimenting with cryonics, perfecting the process, and had reached the human testing stage.”

“But why would anyone volunteer for such a thing?” Tanner asked. “Unless they were sick, and thought their illness could be cured at some future date, and even then, why? Why would a Double O do that?”

“When that lab explosion happened, I was in a coma after having been hit by a car,” Olivia told him. “And what many didn’t know then, and still aren’t aware of now, is that James and I were in a relationship. Q took advantage of James’ fear that I would not wake up.” She paused. “I woke up three days after the explosion.”

Sadness flickered briefly in Tanner’s eyes before he ventured, “If he was in the explosion, how is he alive now?”

“Newman moved James’ cryotube the night before the explosion.”

“Moved it where?”

“Churchill’s Bunker.”

“The one you asked Q to look into and ascertain if it could be used to house Six in the event of an emergency.”

“Yes.”

“And Q… unthawed him?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my god.”

“That was my reaction as well,” Olivia said.

“What are you going to do?”

“Return to Medical, and if Doctor Aiken is finished with his examination, I’m going to take James home.”

“To your place? Why not simply assign him quarters here?”

Olivia couldn’t help smiling at the protective tone in Tanner’s voice. “Because he’s been secluded in Q’s lab for the last thirty-seven hours, and after all that time in the cryotube, he is deserving of a change of scenery.”

“True.”

“Also, he and I have much to discuss. With that in mind, I will not be in tomorrow,” she told him. “If the situation with the hard drive changes in any way call me, otherwise, I am leaving you in charge.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Again, once you’ve made the arrangements for Ronson and Eve, go home. We both know there will not be much change overnight, and if there happens to be, we’ll be alerted.”

Tanner nodded. “I will, M. And good luck.”

Olivia favoured him with a grateful smile. “Thank you, Bill,” she said, then left.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

James looked up as Olivia entered Medical, and she was surprised to feel her body react to the way his face lit up, a large smile appearing on his face when he saw her.

She felt suddenly short of breath, her heart beating just that little bit faster, and much to her consternation, she felt her body flush. He’d always had that effect on her. Well, once she had admitted – to him and to herself – that she loved him. 

Seems he still does, she thought, walking over to the bed he was sitting on while Aiken made some notes on his clip board.

“How is he, Doctor?” Olivia asked.

“Given that he’s been an ice lolly for the last forty years, he is in surprisingly good shape. All his vitals are within norms, and not far off from what they were when he entered the cryotube, according to his file,” Aiken replied. “He’s a little malnourished, but under the circumstances, that’s to be expected.”

“This means I can leave, right, Doc?” James asked, a pleading note to his voice.

“I don’t see why not,” Aiken said. “I see that Q has been feeding you protein shakes since bringing you out. That was smart. After not having eaten solid food for so long, your system would revolt. Continue with those, but I want you to slowly begin introducing solid foods back into your diet. Porridge, soft boiled eggs, rice, foods like that. They’re not as hard on your digestive system.”

James nodded. “All right.”

Aiken turned to Olivia. “I’d like to see him every day for the next little while, just to make certain he stays on track, but otherwise I see no reason why you can’t take him home.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

“M.” Aiken inclined his head, then left them alone, walking toward his office.

Olivia looked at James, and was startled when he raised his right hand, brushing the backs of his fingers against her temple.

“What?” she asked softly, when he whispered her name.

“I just can’t believe I am here with you again,” James said.

“Though not quite what you were expecting, hmm?”

“Honestly, no.” James shook his head. “However, when I went into that bloody tube, I never expected to wake up at all.”

She shook her head. “Don’t say that.”

“It’s true. I went into Q’s cryotube, not believing for one second it would actually work. And I was okay with that because I was convinced you were not going to wake up from that coma, and I did not want to live without you. I was horrified when Geoffrey woke me, and I learnt that not only had you woken up from the coma, but that forty-one years had passed. Because of my selfishness, you lived the very life I feared.” His eyes filled with remorse, as he grasped her face gently between both hands. “Can you ever forgive me?”

Olivia raised her hands to cover his. “Yes,” she whispered.

“How?”

“Because for those forty-one years I had a piece of you with me.”

“Amanda.”

Olivia nodded. “Amanda.” She smiled, then curled her fingers around his, and drew his hands down, holding them against her chest. “Yes, I would have preferred to have you with me, raising our daughter, but having her helped. And then there’s Lacey.”

“I hate to think of you raising her all by yourself.”

“I didn’t do it all by myself.”

“No, of course not. You had help from Geoffrey.”

“Yes, but I also…” Her voice trailed off. This was not the place to have this particular discussion with him.

“You also what?”

She shook her head. “This is not the place to talk about this.”

James pulled his hands away.

Olivia felt the loss keenly.

“You got married,” he said in a flat voice.

“Yes. But it’s not what you think. I married Reginald.”

“Reginald. Reginald Cole?” James asked, and Olivia nodded. “I thought he was a --”

“Homosexual,” she cut him off. “Yes, he is.”

“I guess we don’t call them…” His voice trailed off as she shook her head. “Why Reg?”

“At the time it made sense,” Olivia replied. “I was an unmarried woman with a baby who wanted to move up in the ranks. Reg wanted the same thing; however, our lifestyles weren’t conducive to our goals. You know what the Old Boys Network was like.”

James nodded. He did know.

“We were friends, and it was a solution for both of us. Also, Reg told me that by looking after me and Amanda, it was his way of paying back a debt he owed you.”

“He said that?”

Olivia nodded. “And no matter how much I asked him, he would never tell me why.”

“There really isn’t much to tell.”

“Then tell me what there is.”

“I helped him out one night.”

“How?” Exasperation coloured her voice.

“You remember that he and I lived in the same building?”

She nodded. It was one still owned by Six to this day for use by their single agents.

“I came home one evening to six guys jumping him.”

“Six?”

“Yeah. Apparently, they’d seen him and Larry kissing, and followed Reginald home. They had decided, in their words, ‘to beat the faggot out of him’.”

“Oh my god!”

“And we both know that Reg wouldn’t hurt a fly. He may look big and tough --”

“But he’s really just a big teddy bear.”

James nodded. “They were big, brawny guys, and they let him have it. It was all he could do to defend himself. If it had been just one, perhaps two guys, Reg would have been able to hold his own, but six.” James shook his head. “So, when I saw what was happening, I stepped in and beat the shit out of them.”

Olivia couldn’t help smiling at that, not finding it the least bit difficult to imagine. James was just that sort of person.

“I took Reg to the hospital after that, as they’d done a number on him before I got there. They almost killed him.”

“I can see now why he felt he owed you.”

James shook his head again. “I just did what any decent person would have done.”

Olivia laid her hand on his knee. “No. Most people wouldn’t have bothered. It’s sad, but true. And nowadays, they are more apt to whip out their phones and record the violence rather than step in and try to help or stop it.”

“Record with their phones?”

“I’ll explain later.”

“Okay,” James said, then looked down to where her hand still rested on his knee. He touched the ring, his ring, on her finger. “Are you still married?”

“No. Reg and I got divorced several years ago, once it was legal for him and Laurence to marry,” she answered. “It was a marriage in name only, James. It’s your ring on my finger, not his.”

James slipped his hand beneath hers, grasping it gently. “I know I have no right to be upset or jealous; regardless of who you married. After all, I’m the one that was technically dead.”

“But you are.”

“Yes,” he admitted quietly.

Olivia reached up with her free hand to cup his cheek. “There is no reason to be,” she told him, holding his gaze until he nodded. “Good. Now, are you ready to go home?”

“Yes.” He let go of her hand, and when she stepped back, he hopped off the medical bed. “I am very ready.”

Olivia smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

“I am amazed at how much everything has changed in the last forty years, and yet how much hasn’t,” James murmured, as the car sped through the city streets.

“Wait till you see it in the daylight.”

James turned away from the window. “I look forward to it. Will you be able to do it with me? I know being M you have to be extremely busy.”

“I am, yes. But I am sure we can work something out. I would love to traipse around London with you. It’s a while since I’ve been able to do so.”

James smiled, then settled back into his seat. He reached for her hand, lacing their fingers together, and resting them in his lap. “Tell me about Amanda.”

“Amanda,” Olivia began with a smile. “Our daughter was born at half past one in the morning on July seventeenth, nineteen seventy-two. I was in labour for twenty-three hours, which felt much longer, and when she finally made her entrance into the world, she weighed seven pounds, four ounces, and was twenty inches long.”

“Were you alone?”

She shook her head. “No. Your Aunt Charmaine was in the delivery room with me.”

“You met my Aunt Charmaine?”

“Yes. At your memorial service.”

“She took you in, didn’t she?”

Olivia smiled. “Yes. I was very grateful to have her around. She was a big help during my pregnancy, and even more so after Amanda was born.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there,” James said sadly.

She squeezed his fingers. “I know.”

“Keep going,” he told her. “What was Amanda’s first word? When did she learn to walk? Was she a happy baby?”

“Her first word was ‘mama’,” Olivia replied, unable to stop her smile returning. “She took her first steps when she was seven and a half months old, which is, coincidentally, when she cut her first tooth. That was a tricky time, but otherwise, yes, she was a very happy child.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“According to your Aunt Charmaine, Amanda was much like you were when you were little.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Apparently, you both shared the same temperament. However, in looks, Amanda favoured your mother. She still does.”

“She does?” he asked softly.

Olivia nodded. “Wait until you meet her, you’ll see it.”

“I can’t wait. Tell me more.”

She chuckled, and began regaling him with more stories of their daughter growing up.

“When will I get to meet her?” James asked Olivia a short while later, as the car slowed, then stopped in front of a row of houses.

“I think as soon as possible would be good. I’ll ring her when we get inside, and ask her to come over tomorrow,” she told him, as the door opened.

Olivia climbed out of the car, James right behind her.

“Thank you, Richards.”

“Ma’am.”

“I won’t be going in tomorrow,” she told him. “So, barring an emergency, the day is yours.”

“Thank you, M.” Richards smiled, then inclined his head at James before getting back into the car and driving away.

James stood on the pavement, his hands in his pockets, as he looked around.

“James?”

“Can we just…” he looked down at her.

Olivia smiled and nodded. “Of course.”

Twenty minutes later, the door to the flat opened, and they walked inside. 

Olivia stepped aside, gesturing for James to go further inside. She closed and locked the door, then turned back to James.

A feeling of deja vu washed over her when she found him standing close, a thoughtful expression on his face. She found herself holding her breath as he raised his right hand and brushed the backs of his fingers lightly against her left temple.

“James?”

“All I’ve wanted since you first walked into Geoffrey’s office, is to be alone with you,” he told her quietly. “Finally, I’ve got my wish.”

“We…” Before she could say anything more, James’ lips were on hers. Seconds later, his large hands framed her face as he deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue into her mouth.

She moaned softly, her hands clutching at his waist, her fingers curling into the soft material of his shirt, as he slowly backed her up. All thoughts of their granddaughter were forgotten when James’ hands dropped to her hips, and he lifted her off the floor, pressing her against the door. She moaned again, as for the first time in four decades, arousal surged to life within her, and wrapped her arms and legs around him.

“Mmm…” she hummed into his mouth when he thrust against her. 

“Grandy, I heard the door, what’s taking… oh shit!”

James’ mouth stilled against hers.

Olivia’s eyes opened as James eased his lips from hers, and opened his eyes to meet her gaze. She bit back the amused smile that threatened to break free at the shock and mild fear she could see in his gaze.

“What the… Grandy, what’s going on?”

“Let me down,” she whispered, patting James’ shoulders. He gripped her hips, and held her steady as she lowered her legs, then stepped back once her feet were on the floor. 

“Why aren’t you in bed?” Olivia enquired, as she stepped around James, giving her granddaughter a stern look.

“I was just on my way when I heard the door, so I…” Lacey’s voice trailed off when James turned around. She looked back and forth between the two adults, her eyes wide with disbelief. “Grandy?”

Olivia nodded.

“Oh my god.”

“Hello, Lacey,” James said, with just a hint of nervousness in his voice as he smiled at his granddaughter.

Lacey walked toward her grandparents, coming to a stop just in front of James. She stared at him for several moments, then a smile slowly spread across her face. “Hello, Grandpa,” she replied, as she threw her arms around him.

“Oof!” James grunted, as he slipped his arms around Lacey, returning her embrace. He glanced at Olivia to find her smiling tenderly at them.

Moments later, Lacey released him, then stepped back and looked at her grandmother. “How is this possible, Grandy? I thought you said Grandpa was killed in a laboratory explosion.”

“We all did, Lace,” she answered.

“Oh, I can’t wait to hear this story.”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to,” Olivia told her. “It’s late, and you should be in bed.”

“Yes, it is, but I don’t have school tomorrow, so there’s no better time!” Lacey replied, as she reached out to grab James’ hand, and dragged him behind her as she headed for the living room.

James glanced back at Olivia, a bemused look on his face, then shrugged as he allowed Lacey to pull him away.

Olivia shook her head, then removed her jacket and hung it up before following after them.

When she reached the living room, Lacey and James were already seated on the sofa. She walked over to the drinks trolley, deciding she needed and deserved a drink.

“I’ll take one, please, if you don’t mind.”

Olivia glanced back at James. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea just yet.”

“Olivia, please.”

“The doctor -- ”

James cut her off. “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” He gave her a pleading look. “Just a small one. Please. I promise to nurse it.”

Olivia turned back to the drinks table without a word. Moments later, she walked around the sofa, carrying two tumblers of scotch. She handed him the glass with the least amount.

“Thank you,” James said, brushing his fingers against hers as he took the glass from her.

“You’re welcome,” she replied, as she lowered herself down into her chair.

He took a small drink. “Oh, that’s good,” he murmured, then took another sip, his eyes closing in pleasure. “It feels like ages since I’ve had a good scotch.”

“Well, to be fair, it has been,” Lacey commented dryly.

James opened his eyes to find her smiling sweetly at him. He looked over at Olivia who merely shrugged and smiled. “She’s not wrong.”

He chuckled. “No, she’s not.”

Olivia smiled, sharing an amused look with Lacey.

“It’s amazing,” Lacey remarked, turning her gaze back to James. “You really haven’t aged.” She looked at her grandmother. “He still looks the same as he does in the photo.”

“What photo?” James asked.

Lacey pointed to the framed portrait on the mantel above the fireplace, then scrambled off the sofa to grab it. She handed it to him as she sat back on the couch, curling her legs beneath her.

“This was taken…” His voice trailed off as he turned to look at Olivia.

“Yes.”

They smiled softly at each other.

“Have you been back?”

Olivia shook her head. “No,” she said softly.

“Back where?” Lacey asked.

“Scotland,” James answered absently, a thoughtful expression on his face. “That was a good weekend.”

“Yes, it was,” Olivia agreed.

James nodded, then with another glance at the photo, he handed it to Lacey. “So, what would you like to know?” 

“Well, first I would like to know how you’re still alive when your cryotube and everything in that lab was supposed to have been blown up,” Lacey said.

“Yes, a little more detail on that would be nice,” Olivia agreed; Geoffrey had, after all, told her about his predecessor moving James’ tube earlier.

“According to the letter Q left on my cryotube for Geoffrey to find, Q felt like he was being watched, and was convinced that the Russians were after the Cryo technology he’d developed. He moved my tube to the old bunker under the cover of night, along with all his notes, and kept a mock up of it in his lab.”

“And no one knew this, so you were basically forgotten about,” Lacey realized.

“Only because Q was killed in that explosion,” James replied. “In his letter he said he planned to tell Geoffrey the cryotube’s location once he felt the threat was gone. He’d also planned to leave Geoffrey some sort of clue, just in case, but it seems he wasn’t able to get to that.”

“And because we all believed you killed in the explosion, there was no reason to look for the cryotube,” Olivia said sadly. “I’m sorry, James.”

James reached out, laying his hand on her knee. “You’ve nothing to be sorry for.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know about that.”

“I do,” he countered. “Regret is a waste of time and energy, and it’s unprofessional.”

“Yes, it is,” Olivia agreed, covering his hand with hers.

Lacey watched them for a couple seconds, then focussed her attention on her grandmother’s face. The earlier sadness that had been in her eyes was gone, replaced with the joy of her grandfather’s sudden resurrection, but there was also another emotion in the older woman’s blue eyes. One she couldn’t quite place.

“What’s wrong, Lace?”

Lacey shook her head at her grandmother’s question. “Nothing. Just thinking.”

“About what?”

“About your accident,” Lacey replied. “You told me you didn’t remember what happened.” She looked at James. “I’d like to know what happened to put Grandy in that coma, and also why you agreed to be turned into an icicle.”

“You want to know about that?”

Lacey nodded. “Grandy’s told me about how you two met, how you fell in love saving the Concorde project, right up until she woke up from the coma to find out you’d been killed,” she told her grandfather. “But she doesn’t remember the accident; doesn’t remember being hit by the taxi.”

“You told her all that?” James asked Olivia.

“I did, yes.”

“And you really don’t remember anything about the accident?”

Olivia shook her head. “I remember you going back into the restaurant for your sunglasses, then waking up in Medical to the news you’d been killed in an explosion.”

“Which was forty-ones years ago today, as a matter of fact,” Lacey pointed out.

James’ eyes grew wide. “Really? Forty-one… Today?”

Olivia nodded. “Not the explosion, but my waking up to the news. The lab exploded three days before I came out of the coma.”

“Oh my god.” James hung his head. “So, if I’d just… son of a bitch,” he swore, then shook his head. He raised his head, and met Olivia’s eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“You’ve already apologized. Several times. And I’ve told you there’s no reason to. You did what you felt you had to at the time.”

“I know, but --”

“No buts. Regret is a waste of time and energy,” she repeated his words to him.

“Besides, you’re here now, Grandpa,” Lacey interjected.

“Yes. I am.” He smiled.

“So, Grandy’s accident. Will you tell us?” Lacey asked. “If it’s not too painful.”

“Well, knowing now that she survived, it’s not as painful as it was at the time,” James told her. He took a sip of his Scotch. “Okay, so I had forgotten my sunglasses. I went back to get them while your grandmother waited outside on the pavement. After grabbing the bloody sunglasses, I headed back out to Olivia, reaching the restaurant door just as a large party was leaving. They all seemed to push through the door at once.” He turned to look at Olivia. “You got caught up in that, and somehow got pushed out onto the street just as a taxi was turning the corner.”

He took another sip of his drink.

“I will never forget the sight and sound of the car hitting you, or of hearing you scream when it happened,” he told them, looking solely at Olivia. “It still haunts my dreams.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Screeching tires suddenly filled the air, followed by an ear-splitting scream and the sound of a vehicle impacting a human body.

“Olivia!” James cried out, pushing his way through the crowd of stunned observers. “Move! Move! Get the fuck out of my way!” He stopped when he saw her lying motionless on the street. “Oh god. Olivia.” 

He pushed past the last few bodies, and dropped to his knees beside her. He pressed his fingers against her neck to find her carotid artery. Finding it, and her pulse, James was both relieved and alarmed. Instead of a strong steady beat beneath his fingers, Olivia’s pulse was fast and thready. 

“Christ!” he swore, ripping his jacket off and covering her with it, knowing she was going into shock. He stroked her temple softly as he leaned closer. “Hang on, Olivia. Please hang on.” He looked back over his shoulder. “Someone call a bloody ambulance!”

“Already done, mate.” He heard a voice answer.

James nodded his acknowledgement, as he began checking her for injuries, being as gentle as possible so as to not cause her any further pain or exacerbate what injuries she had sustained.

“An ambulance is on its way. Hang on, sweetheart,” he pleaded with her. “Please hang on.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Here.”

James paused in his story when he felt Lacey nudge his arm. She held his glass out to him, which he noticed had been refilled. He glanced over at Olivia.

“It’s all right,” she said softly. “You look like you need it.”

James took the tumbler from his granddaughter, and took a healthy drink. “I was so afraid I was going to lose you.” He took another sip. “It felt like hours waiting for the ambulance to arrive, but in reality, it took them less than twenty minutes. The paramedics stabilized you, then took you to the hospital.”

“You rode with them, I presume?”

“Yeah.”

“When we got the hospital, they rushed you into surgery, and I called Geoffrey. He, Doctor Hartnell, and Moneypenny came to the hospital. Hartnell went into the surgery while Geoff and Lois kept me company in the waiting room.

“You were in surgery forever. At least it felt that way, but I guess it was only a couple hours. When Hartnell came out, he told me you were all right, and once you were stabilized, they were going to move you to headquarters, to medical.” James took a sip of his scotch, and looked at Lacey. “I refused to leave your grandmother’s side. But for every day she remained in that coma, I grew more and more afraid she wouldn’t wake up, and that I was going to lose her.”

“So that’s when you went into that cryotube?” Lacey asked.

“Yes.” James nodded, then tossed back the remainder of his scotch. “That’s when I gave into my fears.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

James stared at Olivia, his eyes tracing the features of her face, trying to convince himself that she was simply asleep.

Asleep for the last seven days.

“Olivia, please…” James pleaded with the comatose woman. “You have to wake up.”

He brushed his fingers against her temple.

“I need you to wake up.”

He lifted her limp hand, the one he’d been holding tight to, up to his lips, and pressed a kiss to her palm, whispering against her skin, “I miss you so much.”

He closed his eyes against the tears, against the pain in his heart.

A week.

It had only been a week since the accident.

It felt longer.

He pressed another kiss to her palm, then nuzzled his cheek into it.

Doctor Hartnell had been in earlier, and James had seen by the man’s expression that he was not holding out much hope that Olivia would come out of the coma.

And as much as James hated to admit it, he was beginning to lose hope as well. With each hiss of the ventilator, each beep of the monitors, another minute passed that Olivia was not awake; another minute she slipped further away.

The thought of Olivia never waking up terrified him.

Even losing his parents as a child had not hurt as much as the mere thought of losing Olivia did.

His fingers feathered against her temple again before he combed them lightly through her soft hair. “Please wake up,” he whispered. “I need you, Olivia.”

He sighed deeply after several minutes, his hand falling away from her face, then leaned forward to rest his head on her stomach, and closed his eyes.

Hearing the door open, he sat up, groaning at how stiff his back felt.

“Hello, 007.”

“Q,” James acknowledged the older man with a nod, reaching round to rub his back. He glanced at his watch when he was done, and realized he’d been asleep for the last hour.

“Any changes?” the Quartermaster asked, reaching for the clipboard hanging on the foot of the bed.

“No.”

The despair he’d been fighting threatened to surface once again, but he forced it away, refusing to break down in front of the older man.

Q flipped through the medical file, the frown on his face growing more pronounced as he turned each page. He paused to glance up at the monitors, then looked back down at the file, shaking his head.

“It doesn’t look good, does it?”

“I’m afraid not,” Q answered. “But I am sure Doctor Hartnell has already told you this.”

“Yeah, he has,” James replied, his attention on Olivia. Suddenly, he got to his feet, and stomped across the room. “I don’t understand. Why isn’t she waking up!? Why can’t the doctors do anything?”

“I don’t know, 007. In spite of all the advances we’ve made, the human brain is still a mystery.”

James scowled. Hartnell had told him the same thing. It hadn’t placated him then either; it had only made him angrier. “I am so fucking tired of hearing that!” he said in a loud voice.

Q shushed him.

“Why!? It’s not like I’m going to disturb her!” He gestured to Olivia’s prone form. “Having her wake up is what we want. Why shouldn’t I be loud?”

“Bond.” Q shook his head.

“She’s not going to wake up, is she?”

“I honestly don’t know, 007,” Q replied. “As you’ve been told, so long as there’s some brain activity, there is still a chance. Although, yes, in 006’s case, the chance is very small.”

“Fuck,” he swore under his breath, sagging back against the wall, the fight going out of him. He stared at his feet for several moments, before finally raising his head to look at the older man. “So, what do we do now?”

“For 006, I honestly do not know. All we can do is wait, and pray she comes out of the coma soon.”

James frowned. Pray. Fat lot of good that does, he thought.

“I do, however, have a proposition for you which will make the waiting easier,” Q said.

“What is it?”

“First, let me say that what I tell you now, whether you take me up on it or not, is top secret, and does not leave this room.”

“Understood.” James nodded.

“M has given me permission to approach you with this.” Q began. “Tell me, 007, have you heard of Cryonics?”

James’ brow furrowed slightly in thought. “Isn’t that where you freeze people?”

“Crudely phrased, but yes.”

“What about it?” 

“For the last couple years, I’ve been working on a viable application for cryonic suspension for human beings,” Q explained.

His eyes widened in surprise. “Have you really?

“Yes.” Q nodded.

“How successful have you been?”

“Successful enough to have reached the stage for human testing.”

“Human tes… you want me to be your guinea pig.” James realized.

“I would not have phrased it so crudely, but yes.” Q nodded. “And given the circumstances, it would be an ideal time.”

James’ face hardened.

Q held up his hand, stopping the angry retort before it could begin. “We are both aware that Hartnell’s not holding out much hope 006 will wake up.”

The hardness left James’ face instantly, replaced by unhappiness.

“And having looked at her chart, I can’t say I do either. So, my offer is rather ideal, if you think about it.”

“How’s that?”

“Well, you could sit here, driving yourself crazy watching her condition deteriorate, watching her grow weaker every day, and not being able to do anything about until her body finally gives out.”

James felt an icy hand grip his heart. The thought of Olivia dying filling him with dread, and haunted his dreams when he managed to snatch a few hours of rest. 

Simply put: it terrified him.

His gaze shifted back to Olivia. 

“You would only be inside the cryotube for a month. No longer than that.”

James pushed himself away from the wall, and crossed back over to her. He reached out, lightly caressing her hand where it rested on her stomach. “And if she wakes up before the month is up?”

“Then I would bring you out of it, of course.”

He stared down at Olivia, and as he’d done since the accident, he willed her to wake up. 

Please, Olivia, James thought, still stroking the top of her hand. Please open those beautiful eyes.

He sighed, feeling very lost and alone, and very much like a little boy. Suddenly he wished his aunt was there with him. He could use her wise counsel about now.

And one of her hugs, James thought with a small smile.

“May I think about it?” he asked, glancing back at Q.

“Of course. Take the night, let me know your decision tomorrow,” Q told him. “If you have any questions, ring down to my office.”

“All right. Thank you.”

“I’ll leave you alone now,” Q said, as the door opened. “Or not.”

James glanced over to see Geoffrey standing in the doorway.

“Whatever your decision, 007, I want you to know, I do hope 006 wakes up.”

“Thanks,” he mumbled again.

Q nodded, then made his way to the door. “Geoffrey,” he said, stepping around his subordinate, then walked out of the room.

“Sir,” Geoffrey replied, as he let the door close. He crossed over to stand next to James, and looked down at Olivia. “Any change?”

“No.”

“What decision?” Geoffrey asked.

James looked up at his friend. 

Q had told him the project was top secret, and normally he wouldn’t dare discuss a top secret matter but, James realized, he truly did need someone to talk to, and he knew he could trust Geoffrey.

“First, I need to tell you, this is top secret. I probably shouldn’t even be discussing it with you, but I need to talk it through out loud.”

Geoffrey nodded his understanding. “To be honest, I’ve been wondering what he was working on.”

James couldn’t help smiling at that. “Cryonics.”

“Cryonics!?” Geoffrey repeated. “You’re not serious.”

“It’s what he told me. He’s reached the human testing phase.”

“And he asked you to be his first test subject?”

“Yeah.”

Geoffrey shook his head.

“What?”

“You’re not seriously considering it are you?”

“I am, yes.”

“James --”

“Geoffrey,” James cut him off. “I have to face it, there is a very real chance Olivia’s not going to wake up.”

“You can’t start thinking that way.”

“I don’t want to, believe me,” James replied. “But it’s been a week, Geoff, and there’s been no improvement. Not even a little. Even Hartnell isn’t holding out much hope.”

“That doesn’t mean you should give up. Olivia’s tough. She’ll wake up.”

“Yes, she is. It’s one of the things I love about her, but I…” James dropped down into the chair next to Olivia’s bed. “I’m scared, Geoff.”

“I know you are, but you need to think positive. She’s going to come out of the coma,” Geoffrey told him.

“I’m trying.”

“Good. So then tell Q you won’t do it.”

He shook his head.

“James.” Geoffrey sighed. “At least let me ask him to look at his notes, and see what exactly he’s done, and how safe it is.”

“I told you, this is top secret. If you do that, Q will know I’ve spoken to you about it.”

“I suspect Q knows you will have done so anyway. Especially under the circumstances. So what do you say?”

James looked up at his friend after a moment and nodded. “All right.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Q wouldn’t let Geoff see his notes,” James told them, looking back and forth between Olivia and Lacey.

“He mentioned that when I came out of the coma, after he’d told me about the explosion.” 

“He even went to M,” James said.

“Geoffrey never told me that,” Olivia remarked.

“I’m not surprised. He was quite pissed off about it, and at me when I think about it now.” A wry smile came to James’ face. “Though I know it’s because he was concerned. But I was afraid, and I know now that Q took advantage of that fear.”

“Wait a minute. I’m confused,” Lacey spoke up. “Was Q a doctor doctor?”

“Yes. Charles was both a medical doctor and a scientist,” Olivia answered.

“He was a genius,” James remarked. “Just not much of a people person.”

“No. He wasn’t really.” She smiled.

“It’s why he made such a good Quartermaster. He was more comfortable with his gadgets.”

“Okay, that makes a little more sense,” Lacey said, then met James’ eyes. “Even so, why would you do something like that?”

“When you love someone as much as I love your grandmother, the fear of losing them can make you do crazy things,” James replied in a quiet voice. He looked over at Olivia and found her gazing at him with a fond expression. “And I was afraid.” He turned back to Lacey. “If your grandmother wasn’t going to be awake, I didn’t want to be either.”

“That’s sweet, and rather romantic,” Lacey said.

James shook his head. “No. It was cowardly.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“I’ll be waiting.”

“I won’t be long.”

Q nodded, then left the room.

“I really wish you wouldn’t do this.”

James turned to look at Geoffrey, standing next to the window with a frown on his face. “I know you do, Geoff, but it’s something I have to do.”

“Why?”

James glanced over his right shoulder. “I don’t want to be awake if she’s not going to be.”

“James.”

“Geoff.” James shook his head. “My mind is made up.”

“And if she wakes up tomorrow?”

“Then Q will bring me out of it. He promised he would.”

“What if something goes wrong? He’s been very guarded about his research. You don’t really know what you’re letting yourself in for.”

“I trust him.”

Geoffrey sighed sadly.

“Just…” James began, then stopped.

“What?”

“If something does happen, and I’m not saying it will. I am choosing to think positively this time, but if…” James reached into his inner jacket pocket, and pulled out an envelope. “Make sure she gets this.”

“What is it?”

“My will,” he replied simply, then turned and crossed over to the bed, and sank down into the chair. He reached up, brushing her temple with the backs of his fingers. “I’m sorry, Olivia.”

He slipped his free hand into hers, and lifted it to his lips.

“I’m sorry,” James said again. “I never thought of myself as weak, but I guess I am, because I just can’t do this without you,” he whispered. “If… when you wake up, Q will bring me out of the cryotube, but I just can’t do this anymore. It hurts too much.”

Reaching into his trouser pocket, he pulled out a sapphire ring.

“I don’t know if you can hear me, I really don’t… but I like to think you can.” He slipped the ring onto her finger, then raised her fingers to his lips again. “This ring is a promise. A promise that we will be together, because I want to marry you, Olivia.”

He kissed her fingers again, then lowered her hand, laying it on her chest. 

He stood then, and leaned over her.

“I love you, Olivia,” James told her. “I love you so much.”

He lowered his head, and kissed her.

A soft, lingering kiss to her unresponsive lips.

“Please wake up. Please wake up and marry me,” he murmured against her lips, then kissed her once before straightening up.

James stared down at her for a moment, then turned away.

He met Geoffrey’s gaze.

Geoffrey nodded.

“Thank you,” James said, then with a parting glance at Olivia’s prone form, he opened the door, and walked out of the room.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“You did ask me to marry you.”

At the softly uttered words, James turned to find Olivia gazing at him with tears in her eyes, as she fingered the ring still gracing her finger.

“Yes. I did.”

Olivia smiled at him.

“I had actually planned to ask you the night of the accident,” he told her, then smiled. “I guess we both had big plans for that night.”

“It seems so.” Olivia chuckled softly, a wistful expression flittering across her face. “If only…”

“Olivia.” James shook his head.

“I know.” She nodded. “We can’t change the past.”

“No. We can’t.”

Lacey looked back and forth between her grandparents.

The sadness and longing for all the years together they’d been denied was a palpable sensation in the room. Lacey felt their loss keenly, and shared in their sorrow. It broke her heart to see the unhappiness in their eyes in spite of her grandfather’s words.

“So, what happened when you left Grandy’s room?” she asked.

She hoped there wasn’t too much more to the story, as she honestly did not want to prolong their pain. She also felt that once everything was out that they could begin to heal, and move forward in a life together.

“I went down to Q’s lab,” James replied, slowly tearing his gaze away from Olivia to meet Lacey’s. He smiled gently, seeing the concern in her blue eyes, and patted her knee. “He had me change into a special suit, something about it helping to regulate and protect my body while I was in the deep freeze, and to monitor my vital signs. Then I climbed into the cryotube, Q put a specialized oxygen mask on me, then closed the lid. I was given a mild sedative to help me fall asleep,” he said. “I closed my eyes, and at Q’s instruction, took slow, steady breaths, and allowed the sedative to work. Then I fell asleep.”

“Simple as that?”

“Yeah.” James nodded. “Pretty much.”

“Then what?”

“Then I woke up to Geoff’s anxious face looking down at me, though I did not realize it was him right away,” James told her. “The last time I’d seen him, he only looked a couple years older than me.”

Olivia shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

“So, you were essentially asleep for forty-one years?” Lacey said.

“I guess so, yes.”

“Wow. What happened when you woke up? What’d it feel like?”

James tilted his head thoughtfully. “At first I thought it hadn’t worked. It felt like I’d only been asleep for day or so. Then I saw Geoff’s face, heard his voice, and realized I’d been in the cryotube for much longer than a month.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Olivia listening attentively, a sad expression on her face.

“I spent the first day learning to walk again.”

“Weren’t your muscles weak after all those years of just lying in the cryotube?”

James shook his head. “The suit Q made me wear. He’d designed it in such a way that it kept my muscles from atrophying.”

“Wow. That was rather ingenious,” Lacey remarked.

“Yeah.”

“So, then what?”

“I spent almost three days badgering Geoffrey to let me see your grandmother.”

Lacey smiled at that.

“Then Geoffrey called here earlier, and the rest you know,” Olivia told her.

Lacey nodded. “What are you guys going to do now?”

“We hadn’t got that far yet,” James said.

“Oh. I --”

Olivia held her hand up to stop her. “It’s late. You’ve heard what you wanted to hear, but it’s late, and you need to go to bed.”

“But, Grandy, I’m not…” Her voice trailed off into a large yawn. “Sorry.”

Olivia gave her granddaughter a fond look. “Go to bed.”

“All right,” Lacey sighed. She shifted on the sofa, leaning in to kiss James on the cheek before giving him a quick hug. “I’m really glad you turned up, Grandpa.”

James smiled. “Thank you, Lacey,” he replied, returning her hug.

She got up from the sofa, then stepped over to Olivia. She leaned down and hugged her. “Good night, Grandy.”

Olivia reached up, covering Lacey’s arms, and returned the embrace. “Sweet dreams, sweetheart.”

Lacey released her, then left the living room.

Olivia and James stared at each other.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Tanner looked up at Ronson and Moneypenny. “Any questions?”

Ronson and Moneypenny glanced at each other, before turning back to Tanner and shaking their heads.

“No, sir. Everything is crystal clear,” Moneypenny spoke for them both.

“Good,” Tanner said, then held up two tickets. “Your flight to Istanbul leaves in two hours. You’ll find weapons and a car at the safe house.”

“Sounds good,” Ronson replied, taking both tickets and handing one to Moneypenny.

Tanner held up a pair of mobile phones. “These have a program on them for tracking the stolen hard drive.”

They each took a phone.

“Check in when you arrive, and at regular intervals.”

“Yes, sir.”

Tanner watched them leave his office, then sat back in his chair with a sigh.

“Hopefully we’ll find out who is behind all this,” he muttered to himself, before pushing himself out of his chair.

With Moneypenny and Ronson on their way, he could finally head home, as per M’s orders, and get some rest.

M

He wondered how she and the newly resurrected Bond were faring.


	6. Chapter 6

Olivia and James stared at each other.

“She’s certainly a character,” James said, as Lacey’s footsteps could be heard ascending the stairs, followed by a door closing, and then silence.

“Yes, she is,” Olivia replied quietly.

“So, what now?” he asked.

“Honestly?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t know.”

“Me either,” James admitted. “The only thing I’m certain about is that I want to be with you.”

“You want…” Olivia began, then got up from her chair without finishing her sentence. She grabbed the framed photo of him from the coffee table, then stepped over to the fireplace, and placed it back on the mantel.

Olivia closed her eyes when she heard him rise from the sofa, and walk over to stand behind her.

“Olivia…” James began. “I’m scared, too, you know.”

“I know.”

“Everything I know is gone, or changed in ways I no longer recognize. Everything, that is, except you.”

Olivia shook her head.

“It’s true.”

“I am not the same woman I was forty-one years ago,” she told him, opening her eyes to stare down at the fire. “So much has… if you knew the things I’ve done; the things I have ordered others to do, you would be appalled.”

James shook his head, even though her back was to him. “No, I wouldn’t be.”

“Yes, you would.”

“Remember who you’re speaking to,” he said. “You’re M. And before that a Station Head, am I right?”

She nodded. “Thirteen years in Hong Kong.”

“So, there you have it. Being a Station Head, then being M, I know that means you’ve had to make some real tough calls. That you’ve had to weigh the good of the many against the good of the one or few. And I know that’s not easy to do. It’s also why I know you’re a damn good M.”

She huffed derisively.

“Olivia,” he said pointedly. “You’ve been M for fifteen years. Geoffrey told me that currently puts you as the second longest serving M in SIS history. If you weren’t good, they’d have given you the boot already.”

“I guess so.”

“But that’s not what’s really bothering you,” James remarked. “You had to know I wouldn’t care about any of that. I told you when you first told me you wanted to be M that I would support you no matter what.”

“Yes, you did.”

“I meant it. Then and now.”

Olivia sighed.

“So, what’s bothering you? I noticed you growing quiet as I told you and Lacey what had happened after your accident.”

“It’s nothing.”

“We have always been able to talk to one another. We’ve never held anything back. Never been afraid to tell each other how we feel, even though we are, or rather, we were so new.”

She drew in a shuddering breath when he placed his hands on her shoulders.

“Talk to me.”

Olivia lifted her gaze from the flames to his photo on the mantel.

“You haven’t aged a day. You look exactly as I remember,” she whispered, repeating what she’d told him in Q’s office a couple hours earlier. “But I don’t,” she muttered sadly.

“No. But you are still the most beautiful woman I know,” James told her.

She shook her head. “I’m old, James.”

“You forget I’m older than you.”

“Chronologically perhaps, but physically…” Olivia shook her head. 

“It doesn’t matter.”

“But it will. I am not the same woman you loved forty years ago.”

James turned her around to face him. “But you are.”

“No --”

“Olivia,” James cut her off. “I am telling you it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter now, and it won’t matter later.” He ran his hands down her arms to grasp her hands, and squeezed them. “I love you. I went into that bloody cryotube because I loved you, and I woke up still loving you. The last couple hours have not changed that, and certainly not because of a few wrinkles and white hair.”

He released one of her hands to reach up and brush his fingers against her temple before feathering them through her hair.

“I want to make love to you,” he told her, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder, his thumb stroking her throat.

“James…” She shook her head.

“Olivia, if our granddaughter had not interrupted us earlier, we would have had sex up against your front door, and you know it.”

Olivia nodded.

They would have.

She’d wanted him with a passion she’d long thought dead.

“I know.”

She still wanted him.

“Much like our first time.”

She couldn’t help a small smile from gracing her lips. “Yes.”

“I realize I’m rushing things,” James said. “It’s just…”

“I know,” Olivia responded, squeezing his hand.

James smiled, returning the pressure of her fingers. “I understand that you’re not ready, but please,” he said. “Please let me hold you tonight. All I have truly wanted since waking from the cryotube is to see you, and to hold you in my arms.”

“Oh, James.”

“Please. Let me sleep with you, let me hold you,” James pleaded quietly.

Olivia gazed into his eyes for several moment, then reached up to cradle the side of his face. She nodded, whispering with a faint smile, “Yes. I would like that very much.”

James covered her hand with his. “Thank you.”

He leaned down, and pressed a loving kiss to her lips. 

Olivia stepped out of his embrace, then held her hand out to him.

James placed his hand in hers, and without another word she led him out of the living room, turning out the light as they left the room.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Olivia sat on the edge of her bed waiting for James to emerge from the loo.

Once they had entered her bedroom, Olivia had excused herself to the bathroom, telling James to make himself comfortable. Upon entering the bathroom, she’d leaned back against the closed door, and willed her rapidly beating heart to calm down; telling herself that all they would be doing was sleeping; that James would simply be holding her… as she’d dreamt of for so long. Once her heart had calmed, she’d used the toilet, then washed up and brushed her teeth before returning to the bedroom.

James had gone in after her.

As soon as he’d closed the bathroom door, she’d taken that opportunity to change into her nightgown. Once changed, she turned down the bed, then sat on the edge, and waited for him.

As Olivia stared at the bathroom door, she realized she was nervous.

Nervous as to what his reaction would be.

She fingered the hem of her nightgown which was nothing more than a simple blue slip. She’d chosen this particular one for a reason. She needed him to see…

The bathroom door opened, and James stepped out wearing nothing but his underwear. “I don’t have any pyjamas, so I’m afraid…” his voice trailed off, and he stopped after a couple steps into the bedroom. “Oh…”

“I know what you said downstairs, but I thought you should see for yourself how much I’ve changed, and just what you’re letting yourself in for,” Olivia told him. “And to give you a chance to change your mind before anything happens.”

James quickly crossed the room, then dropped to his knees in front of her. He reached up to cup her cheek. “Do you still love me, Olivia?”

“James, I --”

“Answer me,” he cut her off. “Do you still love me?”

Olivia nodded. “Yes. I’ve never stopped loving you.”

“Then that is all that matters,” James replied.

“You say that now. But look at me, James,” Olivia said, holding her hands out in an invitation to do just that. “Take a real good look.”

James sat back on his haunches, and Olivia forced herself not to fidget as he raked his eyes over her.

“When I look at you,” he began in a quiet voice, “I see the woman I love.”

“James…”

He held up his hand to stop her. “Shh!”

“It’s true. So you are not as young as you used to be, or as young as I remember you being,” James said. “It doesn’t matter. Yes, your blonde hair’s now white.” He rose back up on his knees, and reached out to feather his fingers through her hair. “Your skin is no longer smooth.” He traced the fine lines around her eyes with the tip of his finger, then stroked his hands down her arms and placed them on her knees. “Those things don’t matter either.” He slowly slid his hands along her thighs to her waist. “And so you’ve put on a couple pounds…” He flexed his fingers against her. “I don’t care about that either.”

Olivia shook her head.

“It’s true. None of that matters,” James said. “You have never cared that much about your looks, Olivia, at least not in that way. So why don’t you tell me what this is really about. Tell me what is truly bothering you. Is it because I am still physically forty years younger than you? Am I too young now? Is it that why you don’t want me?”

“Oh, James, NO!” Olivia exclaimed. “I do want you.”

“Then what is it? Talk to me, sweetheart.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“Of course you can. You can talk to me about anything.”

“No. That’s not…” she sighed, then continued in a whisper, “I don’t know if I am capable of making love with you.”

James sat back on his haunches, his face a mask of confusion. “I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t you be?”

“I’m old,” Olivia said simply. “The desire is there. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t. When you had me up against the door, I felt aroused for the first time in forty years.”

“Really?

She nodded.

“So, then what makes you think you aren’t capable of making love? You’ve felt both desire and arousal; I would think that would indicate you’re more than capable.”

“Yes, however, I’ve not been with anyone since you, James.”

“You haven’t?”

Olivia shook her head. “I’ve never had the desire or the inclination,” she told him. “There were some minor complications when Amanda was born that resulted in my having a hysterectomy. I went through early menopause as a result, and any desire I may have felt waned even more.”

“So that’s why you never…”

“That was part of it.”

“What was the other reason?”

“You,” she said. “I wanted you, and you were gone.”

James’ face crumpled, and he hung his head. “I’m sorry.”

This time, Olivia reached out to cradle the side of his face. “James, don’t. It’s in the past now, we can’t change it. All we can do now is move forward.”

James raised his head, and met her eyes. “Together?”

Olivia nodded, dropping her hand to his shoulder.

He smiled, then rose up on his knees once more. “Does this mean you’re willing to make love with me tonight?”

“I’m willing to try,” she replied. “I don’t know how my body will react. From talking with what few female friends I have I know that after menopause it may be difficult for me to get wet, and if I do, there’s no guarantee I’ll be able to take you inside, or even orgasm.”

James framed her face in his hands. “I’m willing to try,” he repeated her words, smiling tenderly at her. “Besides, you know how much I love a challenge.”

Olivia chuckled. “Yes, I remember.”

“I love you, Olivia,” James told her softly. “Whatever happens or doesn’t happen tonight will not change that. All I want, all I need, more than anything right now, is to be close to you.”

“Oh, James,” Olivia whispered. “I want and need that, too.”

His hands still grasping her face, James leaned in close, and brushed his lips over hers, before covering her mouth fully and kissing her slowly and deeply. He explored her mouth thoroughly before tangling his tongue with hers.

Olivia moaned, gripping his shoulder tightly.

“You always were a damn good kisser,” she panted softly when he finally eased his lips from hers.

James grinned. “So were you,” he replied, then leaned back in to kiss her again. His lips brushed lightly against hers. “I love kissing you,” he murmured, then trailed kisses along her jaw. “I love the taste of your skin.” His tongue darted out to tickle the sensitive spot behind her ear, then nipped her earlobe.

She moaned, tilting her head to give him better access as he nibbled his way along her jaw back to her mouth. “I could kiss you for hours,” he spoke softly against her lips, tugging playfully on her bottom lip with his teeth.

“James…” she breathed his name. “Don’t tease.”

He chuckled, then pressed his mouth to hers in a proper kiss, slipping his tongue between her lips to tangle with hers once more.

Olivia moaned her delight and wrapped her arms around him. One arm curled around his head, her fingers gripping his hair; the other slipping around his torso as she kissed him back with a hunger that surprised them both.

“James!” she gasped out of the kiss when his hand closed around her left breast, squeezing the large mound, feeling her nipple tighten under the heat of his palm.

“I don’t think you have any worries about how your body will respond,” he said, smiling at her as he cupped her right breast as well, gently teasing both nipples between his fingers and thumbs. “Not at all.”

Olivia smiled and arched into his touch, enjoying the friction of the silk against her hard nipples as James continued to twist and pull on them. Her breasts felt heavy, swollen, and achy in a way they hadn’t in years.

James lowered his head and nuzzled his face in the valley between her breasts. He kissed the smooth skin as he pressed the silk-covered mounds to either side of his face. He inhaled deeply, the familiar scent of her skin filling his senses and increasing his arousal. He needed to see her, to touch her breasts without the barrier of her nightgown. He needed to feel her nipple in his mouth, to taste her. Kissing her skin again, he raised his head and met her eyes.

He placed his hands on her shoulders, slipping his fingers beneath the straps of her nightgown. Before he could slide them off, she covered his hands with hers.

“I want to see you.”

“I know,” Olivia replied softly, as she took hold of his wrists. She lifted his hands away, and lowered them to rest on the mattress on either side of her. Letting go of his wrists, she reached for the hem of her nightgown, shifting slightly so she wasn’t sitting on it.

Licking her lips nervously, Olivia closed her eyes as she pulled the silk garment up and off, then tossed it toward the end of bed, and lowered her arms so that her hands rested on her lap.

Her eyes remained closed.

She felt his warm breath on her left nipple seconds before the puckered tip was engulfed in the heat of his mouth.

His low groan vibrated through her breast as he sucked firmly, and she opened her eyes just as his hands rose to cup both breasts. His fingers tweaked and rolled her right nipple, as he massaged the breast he was suckling.

“Mmm… James…” she moaned, feeling a throb deep in her sex.

“My god, Olivia,” James said, as he released her nipple, and raised his head. “How can you think I would not find you attractive still? If anything, you are more beautiful now.”

She shook her head.

“It’s true,” he told her, grasping her right hand. He rose up and drew her hand between them so that she was cupping his cock. “Feel for yourself what you do to me.”

Olivia licked her lips as she rubbed her palm against him through his boxers. She’d forgotten how big he was, and felt another throb deep within her with the desire to have him inside her.

James grinned, seeing the lust rising in her eyes, and lifted his hand so that he was cradling both breasts once again. “And these,” he squeezed her breasts, “are even more incredible now than they were forty years ago. And we know how much I loved them then.”

Olivia chuckled and nodded.

James grinned at her, then lowered his head to take her other nipple in his mouth. He gently bit the tip, then swirled his tongue around it before sucking hard. He lavished her breasts with attention; squeezing and fondling them as he moved back and forth between both, biting and sucking her nipples until she was arching against him, moaning his name. He grinned around the nipple in his mouth. With a final sharp pull on her nipple, James released her breast, then straightened up so that his face was level with hers.

“I want to lavish every inch of your body with kisses,” he told her, raising his right hand to brush the backs of his fingers against her temple. He lowered his hand to rest on her thigh, his fingers brushing against the curls covering her sex. “Every inch of you.”

“I won’t stop you,” Olivia replied with a smirk, causing James to laugh. “But before you do that, I want to see you.” She moved her hand from his cock to run her finger in the waistband of his pants. “Take these off.”

James nodded, leaned in to place a quick kiss to her lips, then got to his feet. He stepped back, then holding her gaze, he slowly eased his underwear down, being mindful of his aching cock, then kicked them away once they fell to his feet.

Olivia let her eyes drift down his body. For so long, all she’d had was the memory of him, and now… now she was enjoying feasting her eyes on him. When her eyes reached his cock, she felt her pussy pulse with interest.

“Come here,” she said in a quiet voice.

He stepped closer; within arms’ reach.

She raised her hand and placed it on his chest over his heart, smiling at the rapid beating beneath her palm. “Only rarely would I allow myself to think of you like this,” she began, her voice still soft as she circled his left nipple with her finger. “It hurt too much.” She rubbed her thumb over his nipple, smiling as it pebbled. “But once in a while, on those nights when my heart ached from missing you,” she walked her fingers across his chest to play with his other nipple, “when I felt truly lonely, only then would I allow myself to remember making love with you.”

“I’m sor…” He stopped at the shake of her head, and nodded his understanding. No more apologies.

“I would picture you like this,” Olivia said, trailing her fingers down his chest, over his stomach to his groin. “Naked, and hard for me.”

“Olivia!” James groaned when she traced her finger along the vein on the underside of his cock, then wrapped her hand around him.

“I’m pleased to see that my memory did not fail me,” she murmured, lightly stroking his length before slipping her hand lower to cup and fondle his balls.

“Fuck!” James swore when she encircled his prick once again, then leaned forward and swirled her tongue around the plummy head. He grasped her head, and drew her away, then fell to his knees and crashed his mouth to hers in a feral kiss. He moaned against her lips as she continued to stroke his cock, and lowered his right hand from her cheek. He slipped it between her thighs, and cupped her pussy.

“James!” she gasped, and her hand on him stilled when he slipped his middle finger between the lips of her sex and rubbed her clit.

He raised his head, and met her eyes as he lowered his finger, holding it against her entrance.

Olivia nodded, and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as James slowly pressed the long digit inside her. She gave him a tremulous smile, hoping she was wet enough. He had, she remembered, large fingers. “Am I…?”

“A little, yes,” he replied, once his whole finger was inside her. He eased it out, then slid it back inside her, circling her clit with his thumb at the same time. “See, your body is responding.”

“Yes,” she said softly, then gently squeezed his cock, which she still held in her palm. “But not enough to take you.”

“No.” He leaned in and kissed her. “But let’s see what we can do to change that,” he replied with a lusty grin, curling his finger within her.

Olivia smiled, then releasing her hold on his prick, she reached for one of the pillows. She tugged it into place behind her as James eased his finger from inside her, and urged her to shift closer to the edge of the mattress.

James kissed her again. 

A long, slow, deep kiss.

“Lie back,” he whispered against her lips as the kiss tapered off.

Olivia did as he asked, and lay back on the bed, adjusting the pillow beneath her head, then watched as James shuffled closer.

James placed his hands on her knees, and gently spread her thighs further apart. 

He licked his lips.

He pressed a kiss to the inside of each thigh before curling his arm around her left thigh. Using his fingers, he parted the lips of her sex, then lowered his head, and drew his tongue up the length of her pussy.

Olivia inhaled sharply as he licked her twice more, then cried out when he closed his lips around her clit and sucked. Her fingers curled into the sheet as James continued his oral assault, his lips and tongue working steadily against her. 

Every swipe of his tongue, every pull of his lips sent the most delicious sensations coursing through her body. Sensations she’d not felt in over forty years, and ones she’d never thought to feel again.

“Mmm… James…”

James smiled against her.

Going down on Olivia had always been something he enjoyed. Making her come with his mouth and fingers had only served to excite him more, thus increasing his pleasure once he was able to join his body to hers.

He nibbled her clit, lightly scraping the hard knot of nerves with his teeth.

“James!”

His smile grew.

She’d always been so responsive, and now, forty years later, she still was.

“Come for me, Olivia,” he murmured against her sensitive flesh, his thumb moving to take the place of his tongue on her clit. He rubbed firmly as he delved his tongue inside her. “Come!”

“Oh god…” 

She felt it start.

A sensation she hadn’t felt in over forty years.

That wonderful fluttering deep in her sex that heralded an approaching orgasm. With every plunge of his tongue inside her, and every press of his thumb against her clit, the flutter grew stronger. Ripples of pleasure soon gave way to rolling waves until, finally, they crested, drowning her in a maelstrom of sensation.

“JAMES!” Olivia screamed his name as she came.

It had been so long… so long, since she’d felt such exquisite pleasure, and she writhed on the bed as James continued to lick her sex. His mouth worked ceaselessly against her clit, driving her into a second, stronger climax that had her crying out his name yet again, her body arching off the mattress.

James moaned, then smiled against her, feeling her wetness on his chin, and he dipped his tongue inside her once more, relishing the flavour of her on his tongue. 

As the pleasure continued to pulse through her body, Olivia’s fingers uncurled from the sheet, and she reached down to grasp his hair, and tugged gently. “James. James, enough, please.”

James lifted his mouth from her pussy and met her eyes.

“I want you inside me.”

He nodded, then bent his head to kiss her sex once more before rising up on his knees. A part of him wanted to continue eating her out, to send her over the edge a third time, but seeing her lying so wantonly on the bed before him, her legs spread wide in invitation, her pussy swollen, and glistening made his cock ache with the need to be inside her.

James shuffled closer as Olivia drew her legs up, resting her heels on the edge of the mattress. Grasping his cock, he stroked himself a couple times, then flexed his length down, bumping the head against her clit before putting himself into position.

Their eyes met.

He began to push inside her, both inhaling sharply as the engorged head of his cock breached her body. 

James froze.

She was tight.

“Don’t stop,” Olivia told him breathlessly.

James pushed in a little more, then stopped again.

Even with having made her come, twice, not only was she tight around the head of his prick, she was still not wet enough to take him fully inside her. As badly as he wanted to feel her hot and tight around him, as badly as he wanted to bury his cock to the hilt inside her, he couldn’t. Not when it would cause her pain.

“No!” Olivia whined when James withdrew. “James.”

“You’re not wet enough, Olivia.”

“I don’t --” 

“I do,” he cut her off. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Olivia whimpered. “James… please.”

James gazed down at her, then made his decision. “Do you trust me?”

“Yes.”

He held his hand out to her, then tugged her up into his arms when she placed her hand in his. “Wrap your legs around me.”

She curled her legs around his hips.

“Hang on,” he whispered, then holding her close, he got to his feet. He knelt on the bed, then inched forward before lowering her down onto the mattress, covering her body with his. “We’re going to try something,” he told her, then reached back to grasp her knee, and urged her to release him. Once she’d lowered her feet to the mattress, he angled his hips away from her, and reached between them to grasp his prick.

“Yes…” Olivia murmured, when she felt his cock slip between the lips of her sex. “James?” she began when he made no move to enter her.

“I told you, I don’t want to hurt you,” James said, shifting back into position above her, and pressing his pelvis to hers. “And without lube, you will be hurt.” He rocked against her, smiling when she moaned as the head of his cock rubbed against her clit. “This will do until we can buy some lube.”

“Are you sure? I can endure it, James.” She cradled the side of his face. “I want to be with you.”

“You are with me,” he told her, ducking his head to kiss her. “You’re here with me now, making love with me. This is enough, Olivia.”

Olivia stared into his eyes. His beautiful blue eyes. So full of love. It was a sight she’d missed and longed for, for over forty years, and now…

“This is enough,” she whispered, smiling tenderly up at him. She curled her right leg over the back of his, then lifted her hips into his. “Make love to me, James.”

“Yes,” he rasped, then lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her passionately as he began to thrust against her.

They moaned into each other’s mouths, as James set a leisurely pace; both enjoying the slow build of pleasure.

While not enough to take him inside her, Olivia was wet enough to allow the smooth glide of his cock between the lips of her sex; allowing just the right amount of pleasurable friction for them both, as their bodies moved together.

Kisses were exchanged. Long, slow, deep kisses that left them breathless, interspersed with quick, nibbling kisses that had them both smiling and laughing softly as they gazed into each other’s eyes.

“You feel so good,” James whispered, biting a line of kisses along her jaw to her ear.

“So do you,” Olivia whispered back, then clutched him to her as he buried his face in the crook of her neck with a low groan of her name, and gripping her shoulders firmly, began to thrust faster and harder. “Yes, James…”

“Oh god…” James moaned, his body hunching against hers as the first sparks of his orgasm began. “Olivia, I…” 

“I know,” she murmured against his temple.

“Too soon,” he panted.

She couldn’t help smiling, and gently scratched the back of his head. “It’s all right, James,” she told him, as she wrapped her other leg around him. She pulled him tighter against her as he continued to rock against her.

James shook his head. He wanted this to last longer. 

For both of them.

“James,” Olivia breathed into his ear, as she tightened her legs around him, and arched beneath him.

James swore, and thrust hard in response; the heat of her body beckoning him.

“That’s it!” She nipped his ear lobe. “Come, James.”

“Oh fuck,” he swore again, and with another hard thrust, he came with a deep groan. His cock throbbed, spurting his seed between their bodies. He continued to rock against her, riding the waves of pleasure for as long as he could, and hoping to make her come once more. “Your turn,” he panted against her ear. “Come for me again, Olivia.”

“It’s okay, James,” she said. “You’ve already made me…”

James ground his pelvis against hers, his still hard cock rubbing in just the right spot against her clit.

“James!” Olivia cried out in surprise as she climaxed, her body shuddering beneath his. 

James sank into her embrace, still rocking gently against her, and smiled when she wrapped her arms around him, holding him close.

“Mmm…” she hummed when he stopped moving, and the bliss of her orgasm gave way to contented pleasure. She nuzzled his temple, sighing with contentment as her hands began to stroke his damp back.

James raised his head, and smiled tenderly down at her, before ducking his head to brush his lips over hers.

“It was enough,” she whispered against his lips.

“Yes, it was,” he replied, then kissed her fully.

Soft moans escaped them both as they kissed long, deep, and slow, parting only when the need for air became too much.

“Don’t move,” James told her, then feathered another kiss to her lips before he levered his body up and off hers. “I’ll be right back.”

Olivia nodded, and watched as James made his way to the bathroom. She reached down, fingering the cooling, sticky mess on her belly and in the hair on her pussy. Not ideal by a long shot, but worth it to have shared that intimacy with him; to have been with him again.

Her fingers drifted lower, and she found herself idly playing with her clit, moaning softly as she was still sensitive.

“You keep that up, and we’re trying for another round.”

Her fingers stopped, and her hand fell to the bed, her face flaming with embarrassment as James walked back toward to the bed carrying a wet wash cloth.

“No need to be embarrassed, sweetheart,” James said, as he reached the bed. Placing his hands on the mattress on either side of her head, he leaned down. “That was sexy as hell,” he told her.

Olivia’s chuckles were smothered by his lips as he kissed her soundly. “You are such a man, James,” she said when the kiss ended, and he straightened up.

He nodded, smiling unapologetically down at her. “And you wouldn’t have me any other way.”

She smiled, shaking her head. “No, I wouldn’t.”

His smile became an affectionate one as he sat on the edge of the bed next to her, then placed the warm, wet cloth between her thighs.

She sighed. It felt good.

After a few moments, James lifted the washcloth, and quickly cleaned her up. Once he was finished, he rose. “Why don’t you get under the blankets. I’ll be right back.”

Olivia nodded, then sat up. She smiled, letting her eyes drift down to rest on his naked rear.

“I can feel your eyes on my arse,” he said without looking back.

Olivia laughed. “Not my fault you have such nice one,” she called back, then laughed again when she heard him chuckle as he disappeared into the loo. She shifted around on the bed, dragging the pillow with her, then reached out to pull the blankets up over her. Curling her arm beneath her head, she closed her eyes, and waited for James to return.

A few moments later, she felt the bed dip, and opened her eyes as James slipped beneath the blankets with her. Once he was settled, she moved into his arms, laying her head on his shoulder.

James reached out and turned out the lamp.

Twin sighs of contentment echoed softly in the now darkened bedroom.

“Damn!” Olivia swore suddenly, shifting out of his arms to look down at him. “I forgot to ring Amanda.”

“Guess you’ll have to do it in the morning, as I don’t think she’d appreciate being woken up at,” he glanced at the clock on the night table, “half past one in the morning.”

She smirked and shook her head. “No. She wouldn’t,” she agreed, then snuggled back into his arms.

“I love you, Olivia,” James said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“I love you, too,” Olivia replied. “I am so glad Geoffrey found you.”

“And defrosted me.”

“And defrosted you.”

They laughed softly, then cuddled closer, talking softly until both fell asleep.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“James!”

As her grandmother’s cry of her grandfather’s name reached her ears for a third time, Lacey grimaced.

A few seconds later, pulling the pillow off her head, the grimace gave way to a grin.

She was both grossed out and happy for her grandparents.

They’d found their way back together, and it was that thought that made Lacey smile.

She rolled over, curling up on her side, and pulled the second pillow over her head once more.

Just in case.

After all, they had forty years to make up for.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

The buzzing of the phone woke him.

Tanner rolled over, and grabbed the annoying device.

He swiped the screen, then quickly keyed in his pin number to unlock it, and went to his messages.

He opened the newest one. It was from Moneypenny.

_Arrived Istanbul. Target not yet arrived. Obtaining weapons and transport from safe house. Will update again when target sighted._

He acknowledged the text, reminding them to not engage the target, closed the messages, then tossed the phone back onto his night stand.

He yawned, then closed his eyes and went back to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Tanner groaned as the buzzing of his mobile woke him from a very pleasant dream.

Yawning, he reached for the device, frowning when he mis-keyed his pin number on the first attempt.

He rubbed his eyes, wiping the sleep away with his knuckles, then tried again.

Succeeding on his second attempt, he opened his messages.

_Target acquired. Proceeding as ordered to await hand off._

Acknowledged, he texted back, then placed the phone back on his night table. He would advise M later, once he had more news. 

He yawned again, then stretched.

Glancing at the time, Tanner sighed.

He sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed, then after a moment’s pause, he got to his feet. He stretched again and then, scratching his belly, he made his way to the bathroom.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

As she drifted toward consciousness, Olivia was aware of a presence beside her in the bed.

Her eyes opened, and she smiled to find James propped up on his elbow, gazing down at her.

“You’re real,” she whispered.

James smiled. “I’m real.”

Tears welled in her eyes, and she rolled into his embrace, burying her face against his chest. “I was so afraid I’d dreamt last night,” she mumbled against his skin.

James wrapped his arms around her, and held her close as he pressed his lips into her hair. “It wasn’t a dream. I’m really here.”

Olivia kissed his chest, then tilted her head back to look at him. She reached up to cup his cheek. “I am so glad.”

“So am I,” he replied, ducking his head to kiss her.

Olivia hummed into the kiss, then moaned when she felt his cock prod her belly. She slipped her hand between them, and curled her fingers around him.

James pulled out of the kiss with a curse, then groaned as she began to stroke him. “Olivia.” He shook his head, reaching between them to cover her hand with his, stilling her movements. “Don’t.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s not fair to you.”

“Oh, I am enjoying myself quite a lot,” she told him. “In fact…”

Olivia released his cock, then shifted out of his arms, pushing him onto his back. With a grin, she flipped the blankets off them, then scooted down the bed so that she was level with his cock.

As she took him in hand once more, she licked her lips, then leaned forward and took him between her lips.

“FUCK!”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Lacey glanced up at the hoarse shout from her grandfather and half-grinned, half-grimaced.

“Definitely making up for lost years,” she mumbled to herself as she flipped over the pieces of bacon frying in the pan, then added a few more.

A proper fry up was definitely in order, she thought, her grin growing

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Something smells good.”

Lacey looked up from the eggs she was frying at the sound of her grandfather’s voice, and smiled as her grandparents strolled into the kitchen.

“I figured you’d both need a full breakfast after last night.”

Olivia felt her cheeks heat, and glanced at James who simply grinned and shrugged.

“We were rather vocal,” James remarked.

“You can say that again,” Lacey said.

“We were --”

“We weren’t that loud!” Olivia cut James off, giving him a dirty look when he chuckled.

“You really were, Grandy,” Lacey replied with a teasing grin.

“Honestly!” Olivia shook her head, then headed for the cupboard to fetch the coffee mugs.

“I’m just teasing, Grandy,” Lacey said. “Well, mostly.”

“Lacey.”

“The outside walls may be sound proofed, and bullet proofed, but the inner walls sure aren’t,” Lacey told her. “Do you really think I _wanted_ to listen to you two?”

“I suppose not,” Olivia conceded. “And I suppose we were a little loud.”

“A little.” Lacey smirked at her grandmother.

Olivia rolled her eyes, then poured the coffee into the two mugs she’d retrieved.

“But I think it’s great,” Lacey continued. “After forty years…” The grin faded into a genuine smile. “I’m happy for you both.”

“Thanks, Lace,” James said.

Lacey smiled at her grandfather as well, then gestured to the table. “Take a seat, breakfast’s ready,” she told him, lifting the now cooked eggs out of the pan, and placing them on the plates she had waiting. Next, she opened the oven and pulled out a dish full of bacon and sausage, and portioned it out onto the plates.

She carried two of the plates over to the table, placing one in front of James, the other beside him for her grandmother. 

“Sit down, Grandy.”

“I need to ring your mother first,” Olivia said.

Lacey shook her head. “I sent her a text her already. Told her she needed to come by.”

“You didn’t tell her why, did you?”

“No. Just that she needed to come over. I also sent a text to Grandpa Reg.”

“Text?” James asked.

“I’ll explain later,” Olivia told him, then turned back to Lacey. “What time will they be here?”

Lacey glanced up at the clock. “In about an hour. Which gives you time to eat.”

“Just let me help you with the toast.”

Lacey waved her toward the table. “I’ll take care of it. Sit.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Olivia quipped, then grabbed the mugs of coffee, and carried them to the table. She placed one in front of James’ plate, the other in front of hers, then sat down.

“I’m sorry it’s not a full English breakfast,” Lacey said, just as the toast popped up. She grabbed them, placed them on a small plate, and brought them to the table. “But you didn’t have everything.”

“Doesn’t matter. This looks great,” James told her, taking a bite of bacon. He decided not to mention the doctor’s orders for sticking to soft foods. Lacey had obviously gone to a lot of work to prepare the food, and quite frankly, he’d prefer this to porridge.

Olivia looked down at her plate, then over to her granddaughter as she joined them. “It does look good. Thank you, sweetheart.”

Lacey grinned. “You’re welcome.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Olivia watched James as he paced in front of the fireplace.

“There’s no need to be nervous, James.”

James shook his head. “I beg to differ. My daughter, whom I have never met, is coming over, and is about to be given the shock of her life.” He stopped, and looked at Olivia. “What if she hates me?”

“She won’t hate you, James. You’re her father.”

“Biologically, perhaps. But no. Reginald is her father.”

He began pacing again.

“Mum won’t hate you, Grandpa,” Lacey echoed her grandmother’s words.

James stopped pacing again, but before he could respond, they heard the front door open.

“Mum!” 

James looked over at Olivia, his eyes wide.

“In the living room, Amanda,” Olivia called back.

“What’s wrong?” They heard her ask, her voice getting louder as she approached. “Lacey texted that you needed to see…” She stopped in the doorway, her mouth falling open. “….me.”

“Amanda, why are you standing in the doorway?” A large pair of hands appeared on her shoulders, gently prodding her further into the living room, before a tall, older gentleman with greying hair stepped around her, followed by a second man. He stopped, his eyes growing wide. “James?”

James smiled. “Hello, Reg.”

“Is it really…” He turned toward Olivia. “Olivia? Is that…?”

Olivia nodded. “Yes.”

“I don’t believe it,” he said, glancing back at James. “How is this possible? He died in that lab explosion with Q.”

“In a nutshell, Q moved James’ cryotube to the old bunker, and Geoffrey found it a few days ago.”

“And thawed him out?”

“Yes.”

Reginald shook his head in disbelief. “Incredible,” he remarked, making his way across the room to James. “Welcome back, James,” he said, then pulled him into a hug.

James grinned, and returned the hug. “Thank you,” he replied, then continued in a lower voice, “And thank you for taking care of my family.” James pulled back, keeping hold of Reginald’s upper arms. “Our family,” he corrected himself.

Reginald smiled, and squeezed James’ arms. “You have no need to thank me. I was happy to do it.”

“Can someone please explain what the hell is going on!”

All heads turned toward Amanda.

“Sit down, Amanda.” Olivia pointed to the empty spot on the sofa next to Lacey.

“Mum, I --”

“Sit down, Amanda,” Olivia repeated. “And we’ll explain.”

Amanda did as she was told, perching herself on the edge of the sofa, then looked expectantly at her mother. “I thought he was dead.”

“I thought so, too,” Olivia replied.

“So, then how is he still alive? And why does he look like he could pass as my older brother?”

Before Olivia or James could answer, the doorbell rang.

“Of course,” Amanda muttered, receiving a disapproving look from her mother.

“I’ll get it,” Lacey said, scrambling off the couch, ignoring her mother’s deep sigh. 

James watched with a bemused expression as she rushed out of the room; catching the same look on Reg’s face. He then caught Olivia’s eyes. He saw a hint of apology in her gaze, and shook his head. She had no reason to apologize; he was not surprised or put off by their daughter’s reaction.

“Look who’s here,” Lacey called out a few minutes later, as she walked back into the living room. Instead of sitting back on the sofa, she moved to stand beside James in front of the fire place.

“Am I interrupting?” Geoffrey asked.

“Not at all,” James replied.

“In fact, you’re just in time,” Olivia told him. “We were just about to explain the circumstances around James’ death.” She made air quotes around the last word. “And his subsequent resurrection.”

“I would call that rather fortuitous,” Geoffrey replied, making his way over to the sofa. He lowered himself down to sit beside Amanda, and gave her hand an affectionate pat.

Amanda smiled at her godfather, and leaned slightly against him. “Hello, Uncle Geoffrey,” she said in a quiet voice, then looked over at her mother. “You were saying, mother.”

Olivia turned from her daughter to meet James’ eyes. He nodded; a supportive, encouraging expression on his face. She smiled back, then turned back toward her daughter. 

She took a deep breath, then began…

Over the next thirty minutes, with both James and Geoffrey contributing their parts, they explained to Amanda, her husband, Reginald and Laurence what had happened forty-one years ago.

“And I stumbled across the cryotube when I was exploring an old wartime shelter for the possibility of using it again,” Geoffrey told them. “I immediately realized what it was, and when I saw that the cryotube was still functioning, and that James was still alive, I made the decision to bring him out of it.” He turned so that he was facing Amanda. “And that, my dear, is how your father came to be with us.”

Amanda’s face was devoid of emotion as she slowly shook her head. “He’s not my father,” she said after a moment, then stood and walked out of the living room.

“Amanda!” Olivia called after her but received no response. She rose from the chair.

“Olivia,” Reginald said, stepping over to her, laying his hand on her shoulder. “Let me.”

“All right.” She nodded.

Reginald squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, then followed after his step-daughter.

Olivia looked over at James, not surprised to see a mix of confusion and hurt on his face. She crossed over to him, and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, laying her head on his chest.

“You’ve nothing to be sorry about,” he replied, kissing the top of her head. “It can’t be easy for her.” He grasped the back of her head, and drew it back so that she was looking up at him. He gestured with his head. “I’m going to…” 

She nodded.

James gave her a small smile, then ducked his head to kiss her gently. “It will be all right,” he said, then stepped around her, and followed after Reginald and Amanda.

Olivia glanced at her granddaughter, and the two exchanged concerned looks.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“There he is.”

“Where?”

“There.” Moneypenny pointed into the crowded market square. “The ginger. That’s Tate.”

Ronson peered through the window at the tall, reed-thin redhead who was standing in the middle of the bustling shoppers.

“How do you know?”

She gave him a pointed look.

“Oh right.”

“He looks like he’s lost,” Ronson said, watching Tate glance around, then look down at his mobile, then look around again.

“Or looking for someone.”

Ronson glanced at her, and nodded.

“I think he’s spotted whoever it is he’s supposed to meet,” Moneypenny said. “He’s on the move again.”

“Right. I’m going to follow him on foot, you follow in the Rover.” He released his seat belt, and opened the door.

“But…”

“Just do it,” Ronson told her, then got out of the vehicle.

Scowling, Eve quickly, but carefully, climbed over the gear stick into the driver’s seat. She quickly pulled the seat belt around her, secured it, then shifted the car into gear. She began inching the Rover forward, following Ronson who was following Tate, who appeared to be following another man.

Keeping one eye on the crowded street before her, she pulled her mobile from her pocket, swiped the screen, then pressed the speed dial for Tanner.

He needed to be made aware of what was happening.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Reginald entered the kitchen to find Amanda standing in front of the sink, arms crossed over her chest, staring out the window.

“That was pretty childish of me, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, it was. But understandable under the circumstances,” Reginald replied, moving to stand beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

“I just…” Amanda sighed. “Everyone’s calling him my father, and I know biologically he is, but you’re the only father I’ve known. He’s only ever been that portrait on the mantel, and the photo next to mum’s bed. And now he’s suddenly alive again after forty-one years?! It’s just… how am I supposed to feel about this? About him?”

“Just how you’re feeling.”

Amanda and Reginald turned at the sound of James’ voice to find him standing in the door way.

Amanda frowned as James began to speak, his voice low.

“When your mother told me yesterday that I had a daughter, I can’t even begin to tell you how happy and thrilled I was. I had a daughter. In that very same moment, I felt overwhelming sadness when I realized I’d missed everything.

“I missed seeing your mum pregnant with you. I missed being there when you came into this world. I missed your first words, your first steps, all your firsts,” James said. “I wasn’t here to show you how to play sports if that was what you were into, or take you to ballet classes, or any of things dads do with their daughters.

“I wasn’t here to watch you grow up into the beautiful young lady I see before me, and who really _does_ look so much like my mother. I missed all that,” James said. “But I am so grateful Reginald was here to do all that for you. To be your dad. He is your dad, and I wouldn’t dream of trying to take his place. All I ask is that you give us a chance to get to know one another.”

Amanda stared at him for several moments.

“I hated you,” she told him.

“Amanda!” Reginald gasped.

James shook his head. “No, Reg, it’s okay,” he said, then looked at Amanda. “Go on.”

“I hated you for not being here. I hated you for making my mother cry at night when she thought I couldn’t hear her. When I realized my dad was not my biological father; when he and mum told me the truth. I hated you so much.”

“I understand.”

“How can you?”

“I felt that way when I lost my parents. I was angry at them for dying, and leaving me behind.”

Amanda tilted her head thoughtfully. “Why did you do it? Why did you go into that thing?” She paused, and the little girl who had always secretly longed for the father she hadn’t known asked in a small voice, “Why did you leave us?”

“I didn’t leave you, Amanda,” he told her quietly, stepping further into the kitchen. “I didn’t know your mother was pregnant.”

“You didn’t… you didn’t know?”

“No. In fact, I didn’t learn about you until yesterday when I finally got to see your mum. And I know you have no reason to, but you have to believe me, if I had known your mother was pregnant, I would not have done it.”

“I always assumed you knew, but had done it anyway.”

“No.”

“But why do it at all? Even without knowing mum was pregnant? Why did you allow yourself to be put into that thing?”

“Because I was afraid.”

“Afraid? Afraid of what?”

“Of being without your mother.”

“You loved her that much?”

He shook his head. “I _love_ her that much,” he told her. “I was told the odds of Olivia waking from the coma were slim; that she would most likely never wake, and eventually her body would give out. The thought of that, of living without her, I couldn’t bear it. That’s why I did it.”

“I guess I can understand that,” she admitted reluctantly. “I wouldn’t want to live without Duncan either.”

James nodded. “So, again, how are you supposed to feel about all this? Just exactly how you’re feeling. I know it’s not easy having me suddenly being here. It’s not been easy for me either. I’ve woken up to find everything I know has changed. The woman I love has aged without me. I have a daughter, a granddaughter…” His voice trailed off and he simply looked at her, shrugging helplessly.

The two stared at each other.

“Do you still hate me?”

“I want to,” Amanda replied. “But no. I don’t hate you. To be honest, I don’t really have any feelings about you one way or the other. As I told dad, you’ve only ever been that photo on the mantle to me.”

“But you’ve never wanted to know about him,” Reginald pointed out. “Your mum and I offered to tell you about him plenty of times over the years.”

“I know.”

“So, give him a chance, Amanda,” Reginald told her. “He’d have been here if he could have. You heard what your mother and Uncle Geoffrey told you, Q played on his fears of losing her to get him into that machine.”

Amanda glanced at her step-father, and nodded slowly. She turned back to James. “I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try.”

“That’s all I ask.”

“So, then, what should I call you?”

“James. Call me James.”

“Okay.”

“Good. Now that’s settled,” Reginald began in an over-cheerful voice. “Let’s head back to the living room, shall we?”

“All right,” she murmured, then left the kitchen.

Reginald looked at James. “She really is your daughter. She inherited the Bond stubbornness.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” James replied with a grin, then reached out to grasp the other man’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

“You’ve already thanked me.”

“Well, I’m thanking you again. You did a good job raising her.”

“Give her time. She’ll come around. She is more like you than she realizes,” Reg told him. “She’s also got a very loving, generous heart, and is unfailingly faithful to those she loves.”

“Like her mother,” James said.

“And like her father.”

James turned at the sound of Olivia’s voice.

“Everything all right?” she asked, walking over to him.

James nodded, reaching out to grasp her hand, and tug her closer. “As well as can be. She’s agreed to give me a chance. That’s something.”

“Yes, it is,” Olivia agreed, slipping her arm around his waist, and tucking herself against his side.

Reginald smiled. “Oh, it does my heart good to see you both together again,” he said as James wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

“It feels good to be together again,” Olivia told him, laying her head against James’ shoulder.

“Yes, it does,” James agreed.

A phone suddenly rang.

Olivia shifted away from James, as she reached into her skirt pocket, and withdrew her mobile. She gave James and Reginald an apologetic look as she answered the call.

“Yes, Bill?”

_“Ma’am, we have a situation in Turkey.”_

“Bloody hell!” Olivia swore. “I’ll be right there.”

_“Yes, ma’am.”_

The line went dead.

She pressed the speed dial for her driver. “Richards. I need the car.” She paused. “Thank you.”

She locked the screen, then shoved the phone back into her pocket.

“That doesn’t sound good,” Reginald remarked.

Olivia sighed deeply. “It’s not.” She turned to James.

“I’m coming with you,” he said before she could open her mouth. “Please.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Olivia nodded. “All right,” she said, then turned on her heel, and walked out of the kitchen.

James and Reginald shared a look, then followed her.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Ten minutes later, they were seated in the back of the car, speeding through the London streets toward Vauxhall. 

“So, can you tell me what this is about?”

Olivia met his gaze, then reached for the button to raise the car’s security partition.

“Three months ago, Q branch’s cyber division detected an attempt to hack into our system. Thankfully, they were able to stop them before anything vital was compromised. They were also able to pinpoint what the hackers were after.”

“And that was?”

“A list of agents we have embedded in terrorist groups around the world.”

“I see. And you keep that list in the computer?”

Olivia shook her head. “No, the list is on a separate, external hard drive.”

“Hard drive?” 

“A device used for storing information independently from a computer.”

“Ah. Okay,” James said. “And this hard drive is…”

“When not with me, locked in a safe at home,” she told him. “Even the most state of the art systems, which ours is, can be vulnerable to attack. I was not taking any chances.”

“That’s smart,” James said.

“And even with the list itself safe, something bothered me.” She paused, then met his eyes. “Only a handful of people, including myself, know about this list. Even our allies are unaware of its existence.”

“So, then you have a leak.”

Olivia nodded. “Yes. That’s the conclusion I came to as well. The attempted hack, in and of itself, was not a surprise; there are many such attempts made every day. But this particular attack was specific and targeted. They were searching for that list.”

“So what did you do?”

“We put a fake, encrypted list on the internal hard drive of a laptop computer. Only Tanner, Q, and I know the information on it is useless.”

“Then you subtly let it be known the list was on that particular computer?”

“Yes.” Olivia nodded. “Last week, it was stolen off my Chief of Staff’s desk.”

“Who stole it?”

“A man named Tate, who is an aide to the Minister of Defense. We figure he was got to by whoever is behind this.”

“Turned or blackmailed?”

“I suspect a little of both,” Olivia replied, in a flat voice.

“So, this computer, I assumed it’s tagged.”

She nodded again. “It was fitted with two separate tracking devices. One, we expect will be found and disposed of when Tate hands it over to whoever he’s meeting in Turkey.”

“And the second tracker?”

“Is embedded inside the hard drive itself. We’re hoping that one will be overlooked.”

“You’ve sent agents?”

“Yes. They’ve been ordered to observe only. Hopefully, whoever Tate’s meeting will then lead us to whoever is behind all this.”

“Ma’am, we’re here,” Richards voice came over the speaker.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Tanner, report!”

“Ronson has followed Tate…” Tanner’s voice trailed off, and his eyebrows rose in surprise at the man walking beside her.

James Bond.

Tanner recognized him from the photo on M’s desk.

He really hadn’t aged, Tanner thought.

Tanner was uncertain as to how to proceed. He hadn’t expected M to bring Bond along. 

“Tanner?”

“Ma’am,” he began, then hesitated. After all, Bond did not have proper clearance.

Realizing the reason for Tanner’s hesitation, Olivia’s expression softened minutely. “It’s all right, Bill.”

Tanner nodded, then continued, “In short, Ronson left the vehicle to follow Tate on foot, ordering Eve to follow in the Rover. Just a few moments ago, Eve radioed in that Tate had made contact with a man, who I suspect is merely the middle man, and the two entered an old apartment building.”

“Ronson followed them inside.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Olivia swore under her breath, then continued on into her office.

Bond and Tanner followed.

Olivia walked around her desk, opened the top drawer, and tossed her handbag inside. She closed the drawer, then faced the two men. “Tanner, as you may have already figured out, this is James. James, my Chief of Staff, Bill Tanner.”

“Nice to meet you.” James offered his hand to the other man.

Tanner took his hand. “Likewise,” he replied, as they shook.

“Now, back to the situation at hand,” Olivia said.

“Are your agents aware of the contents of the hard drive?” James asked.

Olivia shook her head.

“Then, if I may make a suggestion?” James looked at her, and at her nod, continued, “Why not instruct your agents to pursue whomever it is Tate is giving the hard drive to?” His voice dropped, remembering that Olivia had told him that only a select few knew the drive was fake. “Have them give this person a good chase, fire a few, close shots. It will go a long way toward making the drive look more valuable.”

Olivia smiled. “Good idea,” she told him, then looked at Tanner. “Get them on the comm.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Tanner replied, then hurried out of her office to his desk.

“That was a very good suggestion. Thank you,” Olivia said to James. “I hadn’t thought of that; I am ashamed to admit.”

“You would have,” he told her. “Do you want me to…” he gestured to the outer office, “while you deal with this?”

Olivia shook her head. “No. I’d like you to stay.”

At that moment, Tanner returned, fixing a wireless mic and earphone to his ear. He handed one to Olivia, then proceeded to place another microphone and speaker on her desk.

“Both Ronson and Eve are on the line,” Tanner advised her.

“Thank you,” she replied, as she finished hooking the earphone over ear. “Listen carefully, both of you. This is what I want you to do.”

As Olivia gave new instructions to her agents, James walked over to the lean against the large windows behind Olivia’s desk. He slipped his hands into his trouser pockets, and watched attentively as Olivia and Tanner coordinated the operation in Turkey.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Ronson walked slowly, senses alert, down the short hallway until he came to a bend leading to another hall. He stopped, and hearing a noise, removed his gun from the holster, and released the safety. 

Peering around the corner, he spotted a partially open door at the end of the hall.

Gun raised, he stepped around the corner, and crept closer.

As he reached the door, he heard the familiar soft pops of a gun with suppressor being fired, and the sound of bodies hitting the floor.

“Shots fired,” he murmured.

_“Approach with caution, 005.”_

“Yes, ma’am.”

Slowly pushing the door open, he peered inside, and swore under his breath.

“Tate’s down. He’s been shot. He needs medical evac,” Ronson said, as moved further into the room. “There are two other bodies; both dead,” he informed them, stepping over the one lying in the middle of the room; the other was on the floor in the doorway of the small bathroom.

_“Where is it? Is it there?”_

Ronson looked around, then spotted the mangled laptop on the coffee table in front of the chair Tate was sitting in. “Hard drive’s gone.”

_“Are you sure?”_

Ronson bent down to pick up the laptop. There was a large hole in it where the hard drive should have been. “Yes, ma’am, it’s gone,” he replied, then tossed the now empty shell aside. He looked at Tate. “What about Tate?”

_“Leave him,”_ M ordered. 

_“We’re sending in an emergency evacuation squad,”_ Tanner said.

“They’ll be too late,” Ronson remarked, giving the dying man a sympathetic look before stepping around him, and into the bedroom. He glanced around, spotting a second, open door, he moved through it and into another hallway.

He glanced around then noticed a stairwell.

“Eve,” he said, as he hurried down the stairs. “Meet me at the far side of the building. There’s a back entrance.”

A quick honk of a horn was his answer, as he stepped out onto the bustling road, and he couldn’t help the small smirk that curled his lips as she pulled up next to him in the silver Rover. He opened the door, and quickly climbed inside.

“He’s in the black Audi,” Eve told him, as she pulled away from the building, and followed the smaller vehicle.

The car ahead of them made a sudden, sharp turn down a side street.

“He’s seen us,” Ronson said.

Eve followed the car around the corner, then sped up; closing the distance.

The Audi sped up as well.

The two vehicles raced through the busy, narrow streets, passing three policemen on motorcycles, until Eve finally managed to pull up beside the car as the roadway widened into the local bazaar.

The vehicles bumped each other.

They separated briefly to avoid a stand of motorcycles, then as she closed the distance between them again, Eve gave the steering wheel a sharp yank to the right, smashing into the side of the Audi.

The driver in the car lost control, his right tire catching the end of a ramp leading to one of the stores, and flipped onto its side. It slid along the pavement, sparks flying, then came to a stop, and fell right side up onto the merchandise in one of the bazaar’s stalls.

Eve slammed on the brakes, the Rover skidding into some barrels, showering the bonnet of the vehicle with dried fruits, nuts, and spices.

“Keep your head down,” Ronson ordered her as a gun appeared out of the driver’s window of the Audi, and shots were fired at them.

Eve ducked as Ronson opened the door, and climbed out of the vehicle, firing shots of his own. She raised her head when there was a lull in gunfire, and saw that the man they were after had got out of his vehicle.

He fired at them again, hitting two of the police officers who’d given chase. Both policemen went down, and one of the motorcycles slid across the pavement, crashing into the stand of carpets behind the gunman.

As Ronson changed the clips in his gun, the other man fired at them again, then righted the motorcycle, got on it, and sped away.

Ronson swore, and ran back to the stand of motorcycles. He hopped on one, started it, then gave chase.

Eve pushed against the windscreen of the Rover, which was riddled with holes, until it gave way, clearing her view. She put the vehicle into gear. “Just get clear!” she yelled at the crowd, then took off after Ronson and the gunman.

“Tanner, which way?” she asked.

_“Keep going, I can direct you from here.”_

_“You both know what’s at stake, we cannot afford to lose that drive,”_ Olivia told them.

“Yes, ma’am!” Both Ronson and Moneypenny responded.

The two motorcycles sped through the city.

Ronson pursued the mark, zipping through crowded alleyways, and narrow passages, doing his best to avoid hitting any pedestrians.

“Tanner?” Moneypenny said. “Where are they now?”

_“They appear to be on the rooftops of the Grand Bazaar.”_

Eve shook her head, and continued weaving through the streets below following the directions Tanner was feeding her. She slammed on the brakes when she happened upon a line of stopped cars.

_“Take a left, there’s a bridge. You can cut him off.”_

Eve put the Rover in reverse, and backed into a car that had stopped behind her. Annoyance flashed across her face as she shifted back into first, then pulled out of the lane, hitting the back end of another car as she crossed over the boulevard and into oncoming traffic.

She sped along the street, avoiding the vehicles coming at her, reaching the bridge. She came to a screeching stop, after narrowly missing a lorry carrying metal tubes and barrels, and turned the Rover so that it was blocking the lanes of traffic just as the mark rode up on the motorbike.

He stopped.

Their eyes met as she opened the door, and got out of the Rover, gun in hand.

Planting his foot on the pavement, the mark spun the bike around only to find Ronson pulling up behind him. He dropped the bike to the ground, and ran toward the railing.

Eve ran after him. “Down! Get down!” she shouted at the people standing at the railing in between her and the man she was after. She fired her gun, the five shots ringing out as they hit the railing, completely missing the target as he went over the railing, landing on the train speeding by below.

She ran to the railing, and fired a few more shots at the target as he ran across the top of the moving train, then turned when she heard Ronson’ motorcycle. She watched as he drove toward the railing, hit it, and went over the edge, the bike tumbling over behind him.

The target fired his gun as Ronson sailed through the air, then landed on the last carriage of the train in a heap, and rolled off the top, hitting the ground hard.

Seeing this, Eve ran back to the Rover. She climbed in, and took off after the train.

_“What happened?”_ M’s voice sounded in her ear.

“The target’s on the train, ma’am. Ronson’s down.”

_“What do you mean on the train?”_

“I mean, he’s on top of a train,” Eve replied. “I am in pursuit.”

_“Good.”_

Moneypenny caught up with the train a few minutes later.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Tanner leaned over his computer, frowning at the screen. “She’s going out of range.”

Olivia pressed the comm button on her headset. “We’ve lost tracking. We’re blind here, what’s going on?”

_“I’m still in pursuit, ma’am.”_

Tanner pushed himself away from his desk, and moved into the doorway of M’s office. “Get me CCTV, satellite, anything!”

Olivia nodded her approval, noticing out of the corner of her eye, James nodding as well. She moved back to her desk, but did not sit.

“Tanner?”

“Nothing yet, ma’am.”

“Eve. Report.”

_“No change, ma’am. I’m still following the train. The target is still on top of it, but there’s a tunnel ahead. It also looks like there isn’t much more road ahead. I don’t think I can go any further. I’m going to lose him.”_

Olivia exchanged glances with Tanner.

_“The train just entered the tunnel.”_

“Keep going.”

_“Yes, ma’am.”_

A few moments later, her voice sounded again. _“I’m in position with a line on the tunnel.”_

Olivia placed her hands on her desk, and leaned forward, starring down at the speaker.

_“The train’s emerging.”_ There was a pause. _“The target’s gone. Repeat, the target is gone. He must have gone into the train.”_

“Damn!” Olivia swore.

_“I’m sorry, M.”_

“It’s not your fault, Eve,” she replied. “Ronson. Status. Are you all right?”

“My leg’s broken, and I’ve been shot in the shoulder. But all right otherwise.”

“Good. Eve, get Ronson some medical treatment, then I want you both back here as soon as possible.”

_“Yes, ma’am.”_

Olivia looked to Tanner, who nodded, then walked out of her office, closing the door behind him. She turned to face James. “So now we wait.”


	8. Chapter 8

“Wait? For what?”

“For the hard drive to make it to whoever wanted it stolen.”

“Do you have any suspicions about that?”

Olivia shook her head. “No. And that worries me. But something tells me we won’t have to wait too long before this person makes another move.”

“This is why I could never be M.”

Olivia arched a brow questioningly. “Why’s that?”

“I don’t have your patience. The waiting. It’d drive me mad.”

“It did me in the beginning,” she admitted. “But you learn to deal with it.”

James nodded. “And you were always more patient than me.”

She smiled. “True.”

There was a brief knock on her office door, then Tanner walked in.

“Moneypenny and Ronson are at the safe house. The doctor has set his leg, and removed some shrapnel from his shoulder. I’ve ordered the doctor to send the pieces back with Ronson for analysis,” Tanner reported.

“Very good,” Olivia said. “And the tracking device in the hard drive?”

“Still functioning,” he answered. “It’s still in Turkey, moving southeast.”

“Thank you, Tanner.”

Tanner nodded. “Also, Doctor Aiken rang, and has asked to see Mr. Bond.”

Olivia glanced at James. “Please tell him we will be down shortly.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Tanner replied, then left.

“Did Tanner call that young agent Moneypenny?” James asked.

“Yes.” Olivia turned to face him, and pre-empted his next question. “She’s Lois’ granddaughter.”

James smiled. “Is she a Double O?”

“No. She was my secretary for a short time, but I could see she wanted more than that. So I gave her a chance as a field agent.”

“Is she good?”

“Very.”

“You’re hoping to promote her to Double O though, aren’t you?”

Olivia nodded. “I am. Yes.”

“Lois and Kevin must be very proud.”

“They are,” Olivia replied, leading him out of her office. “Tanner, please inform Doctor Aiken we are on our way down,” she told her Chief of Staff as they passed his desk.

“Yes, M.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Well, how is he?”

“He appears to be doing quite well,” Aiken answered, then looked at James. “How are you feeling? Be honest.”

“I feel good,” James answered. “A bit achy perhaps, but generally, I feel good.”

“Achy how?”

“My muscles feel tired. Like I’ve pulled them.”

Aiken’s brow furrowed. “It could simply be lack of use. After all, you were in the cryotube for an unusually long period of time. Your muscles are simply having to adjust to being used again. The suit Doctor Newman had you wear helped a lot. It kept your muscles, and your body in good shape, but even that is no substitute for good old fashioned exercise.”

“That makes sense,” James agreed.

“But just to be on the safe side, I’ll do some more blood work, as well as a tox screen,” Aiken said. “And we’ll do another complete physical.”

“You did that yesterday.”

Aiken nodded. “And we will do so again today, and tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that until I am satisfied you’re one hundred percent.”

James sighed, but nodded when he felt Olivia’s hand rest on top of his.

“It won’t be that bad, I promise,” Aiken told him.

There was a knock on the door. 

“Excuse me.” Aiken stepped over to the door and opened it. “Yes?”

“M’s presence has been requested upstairs,” the nurse told him.

Olivia turned to James. 

“Go,” he said. “From the sound of things, I am going to be here a while.” He gave her a small, wry smile.

“All right.” She squeezed his hand, then walked over to the door. “When he’s finished, please escort him up to my office.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Aiken acknowledged her order with a nod.

Olivia glanced back to James, then left the examination room.

Aiken closed the door, then walked back to his patient, crossed his arms, and fixed him with a steady look. “Now, care to tell me how you’re really feeling.”

James nodded.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Yes, sir. I will tell her,” Tanner said, then hung up the phone.

“Tell me what?”

Tanner looked up to find M standing beside his desk, an inquisitive look on her face. “That was the new Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee. He’s requested a meeting with you.”

Olivia shook her head.

“It’s like being summoned to the headmaster’s study.”

“It’s a new chairman. Just standard procedure, ma’am.”

“Bloody waste of my time is what I’d call it,” she said, then walked into her office. “When does he want to meet?”

“At your earliest convenience,” Tanner replied. “Although, he did suggest tomorrow would work for him.”

Olivia sat down in her chair, and looked up at Tanner who had followed her into her office. “Did he now?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She tilted her head thoughtfully. “Please set up a meeting with the new Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee for Tuesday morning.”

Years of practice had taught Tanner to keep a straight face, though he did allow the corner of his mouth to curl up slightly. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Thank you, Bill.” M allowed a small, knowing smile to play across her lips.

Tanner inclined his head.

“Has the doctor in Turkey given Eve and Ronson the okay to fly home?”

“Yes. He feels they should be fine,” Tanner answered. “They’re booked for the flight leaving in an hour.”

“Good. Once they’re back, and have reported to medical, I want you to handle their debrief.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Tanner nodded.

“I also want you to arrange security clearance for James for access to the building.”

“Are you reinstating him as a Double O?”

Olivia shook her head. “James needs to see Aiken each day. This will just make it easier.”

“Understood. I’ll get right on that,” Tanner said, then turned to leave her office. He paused in the doorway, and turned back to her. “Out of curiosity, ma’am, would you reinstate him?”

Olivia considered Tanner’s question for a moment before answering. “If it was something James wanted, and he passed all the tests, then yes. I would reinstate him as a Double O.”

Tanner nodded his understanding. “I’ll work on his clearance now, ma’am.”

“Thank you.”

She watched him return to his desk, then turned around in her chair to look out the window. Would James want to return to the service, she wondered, and how would she feel if he did want to?

“It is a nice view.”

Olivia smiled at the sound of James’ voice. She spun around in her chair to find James standing in the doorway of her office. Behind him, she could see Aiken leaving the outer office.

“Everything all right?” she asked.

“Yes.” James nodded. “Is there more you need to do here?”

“No. Why?”

“I’m thinking I would like to go buy some new clothes.”

Olivia smiled. She pushed her chair back, then stood. “I think we can manage that.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“May I ask you a question?”

James nuzzled the top of her head as she lay naked in his arms. “Of course.”

“Have you given any thought to coming back to the SIS?”

“As a Double O?”

“Yes.”

“It’s crossed my mind, yes. But to be honest, I’ve not thought about it in any great detail. Right now, I am more concerned with figuring out where I fit in. With you, with our daughter, and granddaughter. Once that’s sorted, then I can think about what I want to do,” he told her. “Becoming a Double O again is way down on my list of priorities.”

“But it’s on your list?”

James nodded. “Yes. After all, what else am I qualified to do? I’m a killer, Olivia. A trained one, yes, but a killer.”

Olivia did not respond immediately. 

He was right. He was a killer. 

But then, so was she.

Only now, as M, she simply ordered others to pull the trigger in her place.

She was still a killer, but she was also more than that.

And so was James.

Olivia shifted out of his arms, and pushed herself up on her elbow to look down at him. “Yes, you’re a killer, my love, but that is not all you are. There is so much you could do.”

“Like what?”

“You’re trained to fly anything with wings or blades. You know martial arts, hand to hand combat techniques. You’re fluent in French, Italian, German, and Russian; handy in a few others, and you’ve studied Oriental languages at Oxford.” She rubbed her hand over his chest. “You could always become a trainer. Our agents would benefit greatly from your experience.”

“Do you really think so?”

“I do, yes.”

“You don’t think my experience is outdated?”

“No. Not your practical experience,” she told him. “At least think about it. It’s another option.”

“I will,” James said, then asked, “What brought this on?”

“Earlier, at the office, when I asked Tanner to arrange for your security clearance, he asked if I was reinstating you to Double O status.”

“Ah.” James met her eyes. “And if I wanted that, wanted to become a Double O again, would you be okay with that?”

Olivia nodded.

“Really?”

“Yes,” she replied. “If it’s what you really wanted, and providing you passed all the tests, and had been declared fit for active service, then yes I would be okay with it.”

James smiled. “Thank you.”

“James, I love you. I want you to do what makes you happy. I know how much you loved being a Double O, so yes, I would support you if you decide it’s what you want to do.”

“I love you, too.” He reached up and cradled the side of her face. “Should I decide to become a Double O again, I will discuss it with you first. But I…”

“What?” she asked when he hesitated.

“I do want to do something. I don’t want to just sit around while you’re at work,” he admitted. “It doesn’t feel right.”

Olivia nodded. “What would you like to do?”

“Make me your bodyguard.”

“My… my bodyguard?”

“Yes. It will keep me with you. Which, truth be told, after forty years apart is all I really want right now,” he said, then paused. “Unless you think that’s a bad idea.”

A tender expression filled her face. “I think it’s a good idea.”

“You do?”

“Yes.” She nodded, then ducked down to give him a quick kiss. “I love the idea of having you near, and I can’t think of anyone I trust more to be my bodyguard.”

James grinned.

“I will ring Tanner tomorrow, and have him up your security clearance and arrange a marksmanship evaluation.”

“All right.”

Olivia gave him a thoughtful look. “You are sure about this? You want to do this?”

He nodded. “Yes, I am.”

“Good.”

“Is the marksmanship evaluation the only one I will need to take?”

“No. There’s the medical and physical evaluations as well,” she told him. “But you’re seeing Aiken daily for that already.”

“Physical evaluation?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.

A giggle escaped her, and she shook her head.

Her hand drifted down beneath the blankets, her fingers curling around his semi-hard cock.

“Are you certain you’re ready to be physically evaluated?” she asked, lightly stroking him.

James groaned. “I know a way you can help me get ready,” he replied, reaching down to still her hand. He gently removed her hand from his cock, then pushed her over onto her back, and rolled on top of her. He kissed her hard, then scooted down the bed, settling between her legs.

Olivia pulled her bottom lip between her teeth when James’ fingers spread the lips of her sex. He released a warm breath over the sensitive flesh before giving her a long, firm lick.

“James…” 

“I’m planning to ace my physical,” James murmured in between licks, then closed his lips around her clit, and sucked hard.

Olivia half-laughed, half-groaned in response.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

A shot rang out, followed seconds later by another one, and another one after that.

Three more shots followed.

James grinned, as he lowered his gun, then reached out to activate the switch to retrieve the target.

As the target drew closer, his grin grew. 

All six shots were tightly clustered in the heart of the target.

“Once more if you please, Bond.” A voice called out.

James nodded.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Well?”

“Your tests came back fine. Are you still experiencing the ache in your muscles?”

James nodded.

Aiken shook his head, then frowned as he flipped through the file in his hand.

“I know. More tests will be needed,” James said.

“I’m afraid so.”

James sighed.

“We’re in a unique situation. No other human being has been through something like this. I have no basis for comparison. And while Doctor Newman left detailed notes on every test subject, unfortunately, those were all animals. All we can do is keep an eye on you, and take it one day at a time.”

“Just tell me one thing, am I fit enough for active duty as M’s bodyguard?”

“You’re not experiencing any other symptoms, are you?’

“No.”

Aiken regarded him for several moments, then nodded. “Then I do not see any reason you cannot serve as M’s bodyguard. With the understanding that you will advise me immediately of any changes. No matter how insignificant you think it is.”

“I can do that.”

“All right, then. I will certify you fit for active duty,” Aiken said. “Though I still want you here every day.”

James nodded. “Thank you, Doctor.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Well?”

“Mr. Bond is fit for active service, ma’am,” Aiken replied. “I still want to see him daily for the next several months, just to be sure there are no ill effects for having been so long in cryo-sleep. But other than that, I see no reason he cannot be given light duties.”

“Thank you, Doctor Aiken,” Olivia said.

“M.” Aiken inclined his head, then recognizing the dismissal for what it was, he left her office.

Olivia looked at James. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

“Yes.”

“Very good.” She stood, then opened her desk drawer, and withdrew a handgun and ID. “You are officially reinstated as an agent of the British Secret Intelligence Service. Effective immediately. Double O status pending.”

“Olivia…” James shook his head.

“Just in case, James.” Olivia smiled, as she handed him his weapon and ID.

James took both items from her, then met her eyes. “Thank you, M.”

Her smile grew.

James verified the safety was in place on the gun, then slipped it into the waistband of his trousers, under his jacket. He then reached for his wallet, and slipped the ID inside.

“Congratulations, Bond,” Tanner said.

“Thank you, Tanner,” James replied, shaking the man’s offered hand.

“What’s next, Tanner?” Olivia asked, as she sat down, all business once again.

Tanner handed her one of the folders in his hands. “Ronson and Moneypenny’s reports, as well as the notes on their debrief.”

“Anything new I should be aware of?”

“The shrapnel from Ronson’s shoulder has been sent to the lab to be analyzed. I should have the results tomorrow.”

“Very good.” Olivia nodded. “And the status on our other operations?”

Tanner leaned forward in his chair, placing the folders on her desk.

Tuning them out, James sat back in his chair, and removed the phone he’d been given that morning out of his pocket. He turned the small device over and over in his hand, shaking his head in wonder. Technology had come a long way in forty years, he thought with a wry smile, as he began to familiarize himself with the phone.

Twenty minutes later, a little more comfortable with it, he slipped the phone back into his pocket, and looked up as Olivia closed the last folder on her desk.

“Anything else?”

“Just a reminder that you have the meeting with Mallory, the new Chairman of the ISC at half past ten tomorrow morning.”

“I remember.” She frowned slightly, then pushed her chair back and stood. “Well, if that’s everything, I think I’ll head home.”

Both James and Tanner got to their feet as well.

She retrieved her handbag from her desk drawer, then bent down to grab her briefcase. She walked around her desk, then walked across to her office door, James and Tanner following.

“The car will be there to pick you up at nine,” Tanner told her.

“Very good. I’ll see you in the morning, Tanner.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Olivia met James’ eyes, and then the two of them left.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Go right in, ma’am. Mr. Mallory is waiting for you.” The young brunette sitting at the desk in the outer office smiled, gesturing to the door to her right.

“Thank you,” Olivia replied, then glanced at the two men accompanying her.

They nodded at her unspoken order, and moved to sit in the chairs opposite the secretary’s desk, as she crossed over to the door. She opened it, and walked inside.

“So, we just sit here and wait?”

“Yes.”

“I forgot about this aspect of being a bodyguard,” James said, a wry smile on his face.

Tanner chuckled. “Yes, it can be a little tedious. More so for a Double O.”

James nodded, then glanced at the door to the office. “But worth it.”

Tanner smiled. He liked Bond. And he was beginning to see why M had fallen in love with him all those years ago.

“How long have you been at the SIS?” James asked.

“Fifteen years. I started in the Trades and Services department. Worked there for two years, then I did two years as a Business Support Officer, then I was promoted into Corporate Services. After a year there, I was called up to M’s office, and offered the position as her Chief of Staff. That was ten years ago.”

“You obviously enjoy it.”

“I do. M’s a good person to work for.”

“Did you ever give any thought to becoming an agent?

Tanner nodded. “I did, yes. But in the end, I realized that wasn’t for me. I like the stability of working in the office. It can, at times, be unpredictable, but nowhere near like that of an agent. Besides, I’m good at what I do.”

James grinned. “I can see that. And knowing Olivia, excuse me, M, as I do, she would not have kept you for as long as she has if you weren’t.”

“Do you miss being a Double O?” Tanner inquired.

“A little.”

“Will you be asking M to reinstate you to Double O status?”

James tilted his head thoughtfully, then smiled. “She told me you’d asked her about that. I’m not ruling out the possibility, but right now I want to concentrate on getting to know the world as it is now. Everything is so different.”

Tanner nodded. “I can understand that.”

Before either could say anymore, the door to the office opened, and M strode out.

“We’re done here.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Olivia walked into the office to find a man in his early fifties was sitting at the desk.

He quickly got to his feet when he noticed her. “Ah, M, it’s good to meet you at last. I’m Gareth Mallory.”

“Mallory,” she replied, shaking his proffered hand. “Good to meet you as well.”

“May I fix you a drink?” He pointed to the bottle of scotch sitting on the corner of his desk. “Or would you prefer coffee?”

Olivia shook her head. “No. Thank you.”

Mallory nodded, then gestured to one of the two leather chairs in front of his desk. “Please, have a seat.”

Olivia placed her briefcase on the floor next to the chair, then removed her jacket, and laid it over the back before perching on the end of the chair.

“I’m sorry to have to deal with such a delicate subject on our first encounter,” Mallory said, taking the seat across from her. “But, uhm… I have to be frank with you.”

“I think that would be a good idea,” she replied.

“The Prime Minster is concerned.”

“I don’t know why.”

“Five days ago, you lost the computer drive containing the identity of almost every NATO agent embedded in terrorist organizations across the globe. A list, which in the eyes of our allies never existed. So, if you’ll forgive me, I think you know why you’re here.”

“I did no such thing.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I have not lost that list.”

“Then what was that debacle in Turkey?”

Olivia sighed. “It was a hard drive. And it was stolen.”

“Then…”

“While it contained some information, it was nothing of vital importance, and most certainly not the list of agents,” she told him, then at the confused expression on his face, she asked, “Do you think me an amateur, Mallory?”

“Of course not, M. But I don’t understand. Your agents were in Istanbul.”

She nodded.

“They had a confrontation with the man Tate gave the computer to.”

She nodded again.

“And they let him go.”

“Yes.”

“And the hard drive stolen is not the one with the list of agents?”

Olivia nodded once more. “The list of agents is safe on an external hard drive, locked in a safe in my home. I would not be so foolish as to leave a list that important on a computer sitting out in the open on my Chief of Staff’s desk.”

“So why go through the charade of following Tate, and then chasing the mystery man he’d given the computer to?”

“You may or may not be aware, but three months ago an attempt was made to hack into our system. Our cyber division stopped the hack before anything vital was compromised, and they were able to determine what the hackers were after.”

“The list of agents.”

“Yes.”

“How would they know to look for that list?”

Olivia waited for him to put it together. She did not have to wait long.

“There’s a leak,” Mallory said moments later.

“Yes.”

“So that’s why…” his voice trailed off, and he nodded slowly. “Do we know if Tate was turned or being blackmailed?”

“No.”

“Where is the hard drive now?”

“As of this morning, it’s arrived in China.”

“Which brings us back to the list,” Mallory said. “It may not be on that particular hard drive, but now our allies are aware of its existence thanks to what happened in Istanbul.”

“Are we to call this civilian oversight?”

Mallory shook his head. “No. We’re to call this retirement planning.”

Olivia refused to react, keeping her emotions from showing on her face.

“Your country has only the highest respect for you, and your many years of service,” Mallory continued. “When your current posting is completed, you’ll be awarded GCMG with full honours. Congratulations.”

“You’re firing me.”

“No, ma’am. I’m here to oversee the transition period leading to your voluntary retirement in two months’ time. Your successor has yet to be appointed, so we’ll be asking you --”

Olivia got to her feet. “I’m not an idiot, Mallory,” she cut him off. “I know I can’t do the job forever. But I’ll be damned if I am going to leave the department in worse shape than I found it.”

Mallory stood, placing his hands on his hips. “M, you’ve had a great run. You should leave with dignity.”

She grabbed her jacket from the back of the chair, then reached down for her briefcase. “To hell with dignity. I’ll leave when the job’s done.”

With that, Olivia turned, and walked across Mallory’s office. She opened the door, then left.

“We’re done here,” she said, to Tanner and Bond, as she strode past them.

Both men hurried after her.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

James stared through the windscreen as Richards navigated the car through the busy London traffic, heading back to MI6.

It was quiet in the vehicle.

It had been since leaving the ISC office, and James wondered what that Mallory chap had said to upset Olivia. He and Tanner had had to scramble to catch up with her when she’d left Mallory’s office.

He’d caught her eyes only briefly as he’d helped her into the car, and he hadn’t liked what he’d seen. They were cold and angry, and he’d seen traces of hurt in the blue depths. It was the hurt that troubled him.

He glanced back at her, concerned.

She was pretending to read a newspaper. It was open in her hands, but she was staring out the passenger window.

Sensing him looking at her, Olivia turned slightly, and met his eyes.

The hurt was still there, as was some of the anger, James thought. He wanted to ask her what had happened with Mallory, but he knew now was not the time. Not here, in the car, with Tanner and Richards present.

Olivia could see James wanted to know what was troubling her, knew that he could read her better than anyone – even now, regardless of how many years they’d been apart – but she saw that he would not ask her.

She gave him a barely imperceptible nod, which he returned. As he was about to turn around to face the front of the car, Tanner’s mobile rang.

Tanner reached into his inner jacket pocket for the phone, then answered the call, “Yes?”

He paused to listen.

“Now?” 

Olivia’s head snapped around to look at Tanner.

“Ma’am, alert from Q branch, someone’s attempting to hack into our system again,” he said, lowering his mobile, and opening his laptop. “We’re tracing the encryption signal. Localizing now. It’s centring in the UK,” he said, glancing at her. “London.”

“Get us back to base as soon as possible!” Olivia ordered Richards. 

James turned sharply to face front as Richards turned on the lights and sirens, then pulled over into the passing lane as he increased speed, and wove his way through the traffic.

Olivia looked at the screen on Tanner’s laptop, as he followed Q branch’s progress in tracking the hack.

“It’s coming from MI6.”

“What?”

“The data packet is linking to our network. Correction, this is behind our firewall. We should shut down.”

“No. Track it! We have to know where it’s coming from, who’s behind this.”

“Strip the headers. Trace the source,” Tanner spoke into his phone.

“How the hell did they get into our system?” she asked.

“Getting trace back now. It appears,” he paused. “It appears they’ve hacked into your computer, ma’am.”

“Shut it down,” Olivia said firmly.

Tanner hit a button his laptop which would effectively shut down Six’s computer system.

The data on the screen was suddenly replaced with the Union Jack. As a digitized version of the national anthem began to play, Olivia’s image appeared in the centre of the flag.

“What is this?” Olivia asked, watching her own animated face laugh maniacally on the computer screen, then suddenly dissolve into flame, before the words appeared on the screen.

THINK ON YOUR SINS

Olivia frowned.

Tanner closed the laptop as Richards veered around a double-decker bus on Vauxhall Bridge.

The car slowed, then stopped when it was prevented from going any further.

“Why have we stopped?” Olivia asked.

“The police have blocked off the bridge,” James told her. “And an officer’s heading this way.”

Olivia swore under her breath, as she removed her seat belt, then opened her door. “For god’s sake, just get out of the way!” She slammed the door closed, and began walking toward the approaching officer. “Don’t you recognize the car?”

James was out of the car, and by her side seconds later.

“Madam…” 

The sudden explosion made them all jump.

Olivia looked up to see her office burst into flames; bricks, steel, and glass flying everywhere.

She was shocked into silence. Horror and fear wrapping around her heart.

Her office.

Gone, just like that.

She could have been there

Olivia felt James’ fingers grasp hers, and she gripped them back tightly.

“James,” she said softly. “I need to be there.”

James nodded, then took a step forward, only to be stopped by the police officer.

“Sir, I can’t let you pass.”

“Yes, officer, you can.” James gestured to Olivia. “This is the head of MI6, and you _will_ let her pass.”

“Sir…” The policeman began.

James did not let him finish, and simply brushed past him, holding tight to Olivia’s hand, to ensure she moved with him.

“Bring the car when you can, Richards,” Tanner told the driver.

“Yes, sir,” Richards replied.

Tanner nodded, then followed after Bond and M, ignoring the protests of the police officer.

When they reached the Albert Embankment, they found it had been cordoned off by police tape, as well as MI6 personnel and the police to prevent the gathering crowd from getting much closer.

James pushed his way through the crowd, still clinging tightly to Olivia’s hand until he reached more police tape. He grabbed the tape, and raised it for Olivia to slip under.

They’d only managed to walk a couple feet when a police officer, a large, burly police officer who was well over six feet tall, hurried over to stop them from going any further.

Olivia stepped in front of James. “Enough of this! I am the head of MI6, and you will let me through. Right now!”

The authoritative tone of Olivia’s voice brooked no argument, and James bit back a smirk as the officer seemed to snap to attention, then step back immediately.

“Thank you,” she said, then walked briskly past him.

Another man in uniform spotted her, and began making his way toward her. James was about to step in front of her, when he noticed the relief on the other man’s face.

“M!” he said. “Ma’am, it’s good to see you.”

“You as well, Percy.”

“We thought…” Percy began, then stopped. “Are you hurt?”

Olivia shook her head. “No. I wasn’t in the building,” she replied. “Report.”

“We don’t know much at the moment, I’m afraid. All we know is an explosion took out your office, and pretty much the entire floor. Currently, we are working, with the aid of Fire and Rescue, to evacuate the building.”

“Any casualties?”

“One so far. Several personnel have sustained injuries; they’ve been taken to hospital,” Percy told her. “Lots of cuts and bruises as well. Those are being treated down the block where we have a makeshift triage set up.”

“Do we know who was killed?”

Percy shook his head. “No, ma’am. I’m afraid I wasn’t given that information.”

“All right.”

“Agent Duncan has been coordinating the rescue efforts with the LFB and local authorities; if you’ll follow me, ma’am, I’ll take you to him.”

Olivia nodded. “Lead the way.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Here.”

Olivia looked up to see James standing before holding a paper cup of coffee. “Is it good?”

“Not really,” he replied.

She took the cup with a sigh, then sipped the bitter brew. She grimaced. “You weren’t lying,” she commented, cradling the warm cup between her hands.

James sat down next to her. “Are you warm enough?”

“As warm as I can be,” Olivia answered, then protested when James began to remove his jacket. “James! No! You’ll only get cold.”

“It’s all right. I spent the last forty years in a deep freeze. I’m used to it,” he dead-panned, as he wrapped his jacket around her shoulders.

“That’s not funny,” she said, leaning into him, as he kept his arm draped over her shoulders.

“No. It’s not. But it is at the same time,” James replied, rubbing her upper arm, trying to impart a little more warmth.

Olivia shook her head, allowing a small smile to flitter across her lips. She’d missed his dry sense of humour.

“How long have we been here?”

They were alone, sitting in a tent which was being used as a makeshift base while the various crews continued to search and evacuate the building.

“Almost an hour,” James answered.

“That’s all?”

“Yes.”

Olivia sighed.

“You know who’s behind this,” he said in a low voice.

“I suspect, yes,” Olivia replied softly, then leaned back to look at him, and shook her head. “James, I can’t ri --”

“I know,” he cut her off. “It’s all right. Later.”

She nodded.

They heard voices approaching, and quickly separated. James removed his arm from around Olivia’s shoulders, and shifted over on the bench they were sitting on just as Tanner entered the tent, followed by Duncan, and the Deputy Commissioner of the Fire Brigade, Paul Hare.

Olivia and James got to their feet. 

“How bad is it?” she asked.

“Not as bad as it could have been,” Hare told her. “Eight dead.”

“Eight,” she repeated sadly.

“Again, ma’am, it could have been much worse.”

She nodded. “How many injured?”

“A dozen. They’ve been taken to the hospital. Many more have been treated at our triage site,” Hare answered.

Olivia turned to Tanner. “Do we have names?”

“We’re gathering them now.”

There was something in his voice that caught her attention. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Tanner sighed. “Q was severely injured in the explosion, ma’am. He’s been taken to the hospital.”

Olivia felt her stomach drop, and unconsciously reached for James’ hand. “How bad?”

“I checked with the hospital before coming here. He’s been listed in critical condition, and was going into surgery.”

She glanced at James, and found her worry and fear mirrored in his eyes.

“The hospital has been instructed to contact me once he’s out of surgery.”

“Thank you, Bill,” Olivia said, then turned back to Hare. 

“Preliminary results indicate it was a gas explosion,” Hare told her. “We’ll need to investigate further to be certain.”

Olivia shook her head. “Thank you, but no. My people will handle that from here.”

“Ma’am, it is the LFB’s job --”

Olivia held her hand up to stop him. “I am aware of that, Commissioner. But you have to understand, given the nature of our business, that I cannot have your people crawling around my building unsupervised.”

“I understand.”

“And once we’ve determined the cause, we will share that information with the LFB.”

“That is acceptable.”

“Thank you. How long before my people are allowed back inside?”

“As soon as we are certain the fire is completely out, and we’ve determined the structure is safe.”

“Our people are teamed up with the firefighters, ma’am,” Tanner reassured her.

Olivia gave him a quick nod of thanks, before returning her gaze to the fire commissioner. “How long?”

“Two, three days at the most.”

“All right. Thank you, Commissioner.”

“Ma’am, if you’ll excuse us,” Duncan began. “We need to get back out there.”

“Of course. Thank you both,” Olivia said, and watched at Duncan and Hare left, just another person rushed in.

“My apologies for bursting inside, M. But it’s an emergency.”

Olivia waved away her apology. “What’s the emergency, Miss Lowen?”

“We just received an alert; your flat’s been broken into.”

“What?!” James exclaimed, clenching Olivia’s hand tighter.

“When did this happen?” Olivia asked.

“According the police, within minutes of the explosion here.”

Olivia turned sharply. “Tanner! My family.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Tanner answered without hesitation, pulling his mobile from his pocket, as he moved off to the side.

“Did the police say anything else, Lowen?”

“No, M. I’m sorry.”

“All right, thank you.”

“Ma’am.” Lowen inclined her head, then left the tent.

“Agents are on their way to pick up your family,” Tanner said, stepping back over to them. “I will advise you once they’re at the designated safe location.”

“Thank you, Bill.”

“Yes, thank you,” James echoed Olivia’s sentiment; she squeezed his hand.

“It’s not a coincidence, is it?” Tanner asked.

Olivia shook her head, then released his hand and began pacing.

“You think the drive was stolen, don’t you?” James asked.

“Yes. I need confirmation though.”

“You’re not thinking of going, are you?” 

“I am, yes. There is nothing more I can do here at the moment.”

James shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Olivia stopped pacing, and fixed him with a hard stare, arching a delicate eyebrow.

“It’s not like that,” James remarked, then sighed as she continued to stare at him. “All right, perhaps a little. Under the circumstances can you blame me? First your office is blown up, and then your flat is broken into. Even if we were not involved, my first instinct, as your bodyguard, is to not let you anywhere near your flat. There could very well be a not so pleasant surprise left behind.”

Tanner watched as M and Bond stared at each other. He found himself holding his breath.

James sighed. “Olivia, I have never stopped you from doing your job, and I am not about to start now. If you want to go to the flat, we go. I just think it’s too great a risk. There has to be another way to ascertain if the hard drive has been stolen or not.”

“Tanner,” Olivia said, still holding Bond’s gaze. “Would you please send a couple agents to my flat with a drone. Specifically, they are to look at the safe behind the portrait in the front hall.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Thank you.”

Tanner turned, and walked out of the tent, a small smile on his face. 

He could see why they went so well together.

“I’m sorry,” James said softly once they were alone.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Olivia replied, closing the distance between them, and placing her hand on his chest. “I had the same thought, that there could be something left behind.”

“So, I spoke before you had a chance to voice it.”

“Pretty much.”

James shook his head. “Sorry,” he said again.

“Don’t be. I trust you, James. I trust your instincts.”

He covered her hand with his.

“There is something you could do for me now, though,” Olivia said.

“Anything. You know that.”

“Hold me.”

James let go of her hand immediately, then reached out to pull her to him. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly to his chest. He laid his cheek against her head when her arms slipped around his waist, and she held him just as tightly.

“It’s going to get worse,” she mumbled against his chest. “If that drive truly has been stolen, it’s only going to get worse.”


	9. Chapter 9

“And you’re all right?”

_“Yes, mum. We’re fine,”_ Amanda replied. _“The safe house we’re in is really rather posh. There’s plenty of room for all of us. Bill chose well.”_

Olivia chuckled.

_“And you and dad? You’re both all right?”_

Olivia glanced at James. He had a surprised expression as he stared at the phone. She smiled, as she leaned against him. “Yes, your father and I are perfectly fine. A little tired, but all right.”

_“I am very glad to hear that.”_ There was a muffled pause, before she continued. _"Lacey’s quite anxious to speak with you both.”_

Olivia smiled. “Put her on.”

_“I’m glad you’re both all right.”_

“Thank you, Amanda,” James said.

“Sleep well, Amanda,” Olivia told her.

_“You two as well. Here’s Lacey.”_

_“Gandy? Grandpa? Are you two really okay?”_ Lacey’s voice came over the speaker. 

“Yes, Lacey, we’re really okay.”

_“Grandpa?”_

“I’m here. Your grandmother told you, we’re all right.”

Her sigh of relief was audible. _“When I heard about the explosion on the news…”_

“I know, sweetheart. I know.”

_“How long will we have to stay in the safe house, Grandy?_

“Until I am certain the threat has passed.”

_“But what about you and Grandpa?”_

“It’s our job, Lacey. Something to think about if you’re serious about wanting to work in the Secret Service.”

_“Yeah.”_

The phone in James’ pocket vibrated, startling him. He pulled it out and saw Tanner’s name on the screen. “Excuse me,” he said as he stood, and moved across the room, as he answered the call.

“Lacey…” Olivia began.

_“Yeah, Grandy, I know. You have to go.”_

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

_“It’s all right. I love you, Grandy. Please stay safe.”_

“I’ll do my best. I love you, too, Lacey.”

_“Tell Grandpa I love him.”_

“I will,” Olivia said, then disconnected the call. Her shoulders slumped, and she sank back against the sofa as James returned.

“You didn’t tell them about Geoffrey.” His hands came to rest on her shoulders.

“No. I did not want to worry them further,” she replied in a quiet voice, tilting her head back to look up at him. “Besides, we’ve not heard anything from Bill yet. I take it that was him on the phone?”

“Yes. He’s on his way up; should be here in…”

There was a knock on the door.

“…about now,” James finished.

Olivia chuckled.

He leaned down, and dropped a kiss to her forehead, then walked over to the door. He peered through the peephole. Seeing Tanner, he unlocked the door, opened it, and let the other man in.

“Good evening, Bill. Need a hand with those?” James indicated the bags in the other man’s hands. 

“No. I’ve got it, thanks,” Tanner replied. “But there’s a couple more in the corridor.”

James stuck his head out the door, and saw the two duffel bags on the floor. Grabbing them both, he pulled them into the room, then dropped them on the floor next to the door before closing and locking it.

“Are these?”

“Clothes and such, yes.” Tanner nodded, as Olivia approached.

“I smell food,” she said.

Tanner smiled. “I brought some take away.”

“Please tell me there’s a cheeseburger in there.”

“Yes, ma’am. With extra chips, well-cooked as you prefer, and a Coke.”

Olivia smiled. “Thank you, Bill,” she said, accepting the take away bag from him, and returning to the sofa.

“Not knowing what you’d prefer, I got you the same thing, James,” Tanner told him.

“That’s fine, Bill. Thanks,” James replied, as he joined them. He sat beside Olivia on the sofa, and opened the container she’d slid in front of him on the coffee table. “Oh… that’s a thing of beauty. Is this place good?”

Olivia nodded as she reached for one of her chips. “Very good.” She popped the chip into her mouth. “Go ahead, Tanner.”

“First, the hospital rang while I was waiting for the take away. Q has been in recovery for the last several hours, and has regained consciousness. Doctor Jacobs apologizes for not ringing me sooner, but under the circumstances…”

Olivia nodded, as she raised her burger to take a bite.

“She said Q should be fine. He’ll need to remain in the hospital for a while, but he should be fine. I’m going to stop in to see him on my way home.”

She swallowed. “Please tell him we’ll be in to see him as soon as we are able.”

“I will.”

A deep moan of appreciation had Olivia and Tanner turning to James as he took a second large bite of his cheeseburger.

“Good?” Olivia asked with a smirk.

“Oh yes,” he mumbled around the bite. He chewed and swallowed. “It’s been so long since I’ve had a burger.”

“I hope your stomach can tolerate it,” Olivia said, suddenly remembering Aiken’s suggestion for James to stick with soft foods for a while.

“It’ll be worth it,” James replied, reaching for a couple chips. He took a bite. “Very worth it.” He swallowed, then reached out to pat her knee. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

She nodded, then turned back to Tanner. “My flat.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Tanner reached into his briefcase, and pulled out his computer. “Your security system had been circumvented, so there was no visible sign of forced entry. However, whoever did so, neglected to key in the pin number which triggered the silent alarm,” he said, placing the computer on the table. 

“They didn’t forget,” James said. “They wanted her to know they’d broken into the flat.”

“That was my thought as well,” Tanner remarked, as he opened the computer. “I have the drone footage ready.”

“Just tell me if the drive has been stolen,” Olivia said.

“Yes, ma’am. It has been.”

“Damn!” she swore under her breath.

“But there is something else you need to see,” Tanner told her, pressing play.

They watched the video.

Olivia put her burger down when the drone reached the painting, which was hanging off its hinges. The safe was open.

“How did they manage that? It’s a state of the art safe.”

“We’re still investigating that,” Tanner replied. “As you can see the drive is gone, but this is what you needed to see.”

He paused the video.

On the screen was a small place card, which the drone had zoomed in on, with the words typed out in black ink.

TSK! TSK! TSK! SUCH A NAUGHTY MOMMY!  
THINK ON YOUR SINS!

“Thank you, Tanner. You can turn it off.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He stopped the video, and closed the computer.

Olivia sat back against the sofa, and closed her eyes, scrubbing her hand over her face.

Christ, she was tired.

“Is the bunker up and running?” she asked in a low voice.

“Not yet. But I’ve been reassured it will be ready first thing in the morning. We won’t have every system up, but we will have enough to get back into operation.”

“That’s something at least.” 

She shook her head. 

Such a bloody mess, she thought.

“Very well.” She opened her eyes, then sat up straight once more. “I want you to begin formulating a plan to get those undercover agents out and home. But for now, go home. There’s nothing more we can do this evening, so we might as well try to get a good night’s sleep for a change.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Tanner picked up his computer, returning it to his briefcase.

“And don’t forget to give Geoffrey our best.”

“I won’t,” Tanner replied, then stood. “And I’ll remember to let him know you’ll be in to see him as soon as you are able.”

“Thank you, Bill.”

James got to his feet as well, gesturing for Olivia to remain seated. He could see how exhausted she was.

“Yes, thank you, Bill,” he said, walking the younger man to the door. “Oh, were you able to get that thing I asked you about?” he asked in a quiet voice, as he unlocked the door.

A blush stole across Tanner’s face. He nodded. “It’s in the duffel bag with your clothes.”

“I really appreciate it, Bill.”

“Don’t mention it,” Bill replied, then grimaced. “Seriously. Don’t. Ever again, please.”

James bit back a smirk, and nodded.

“If you need anything, just ring, or ask the guards.”

“How many have you got guarding her?” James asked.

“The two at either end of the corridor, plus two in the lobby,” he told them. “There are also two guards patrolling the car park.”

“Has the hotel put up any fuss?”

Tanner shook his head.

“Good.” James was relieved. They’d opted to stay in a hotel for the night as in the chaos of the explosion, they were not entirely certain which safe houses had been compromised. Tanner had assured them, however, that their family were in a house that only he knew about, that was completely off Six’ grid, and were completely safe.

Tanner turned back toward the sofa. “Ma’am, Richards will be here in the morning at half past eight.”

“Very good, Tanner.” She shifted on the sofa so she could see him. 

He nodded. “Good night, M.” He looked at Bond. “James.”

“Good night, Tanner,” Olivia called out.

“Night, Bill,” James said, standing to the side as Tanner walked through the door. The two shared another look, then James closed the door and locked it.

He made his way back to the sofa, sat down, then reached for his burger.

“Don’t mention what again?” Olivia asked him before he could take a bite.

“Nothing.”

“James.”

“It’s nothing, Olivia.”

“It is not nothing. Tanner was red as a tomato,” she said. “What did you ask him to get for you?”

James sighed, and put his burger down. He looked at her. “I asked him to pick up some lube.”

Olivia’s mouth fell open. 

She quickly closed it again.

“You asked my Chief of Staff to buy a bottle of lube?! For you? For us,” she finished in an incredulous whisper. 

James nodded. “Yes. I did not have any with me.”

“I am aware of that. But the point of the matter is that you asked my Chief of Staff to buy it.”

“Would you have preferred I ask one of the junior staff to do it?”

“Christ, no!”

“There you go, then.” He reached for his burger once again, and took a bite.

“You’re not expecting us to make love tonight, are you? Not after everything that’s happened?”

James took another bite, then placed the burger back in the takeaway container. After swallowing, he turned on the sofa to face her. “No. I’m not expecting that at all. In fact, what’s going to happen is this,” James said. “We are going to finish our dinner. When we’re finished eating, I am going to draw you a nice, hot bath in that monster of a tub in the bathroom. And after you’ve relaxed in there for a little while, I am going to take you to bed, where I am going to hold you close all night while we sleep.”

“James…” Olivia whispered, her eyes welling with tears.

He smiled, reaching up to cradle the side of her face. “It’s been a long day, and I know you’re tired.”

“I am,” she admitted.

“So, let me take care of you,” James said. “It’s been so long, and I’ve missed being able to pamper you.”

Olivia smiled. “I’ve missed it, too.”

“Does that mean?”

She nodded, then nuzzled her cheek against his palm. “A bath sounds lovely.”

James gave her a tender look, then leaned forward to give her a gentle kiss.

“Besides, there’s always morning sex,” he deadpanned, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

Olivia smacked his chest.

James laughed, then brushed his lips against hers again before straightening back up. “Eat your dinner. I know you’ve not had anything save that barely passable coffee, and half a bagel.”

She wrinkled her nose at the mention of the coffee, and James chuckled as they turned back to the coffee table and their food.

“Earlier you said you suspected who was behind all this,” he said, as they finished the last bites of their meals.

Olivia sank back against the back of the sofa with a sigh, and closed her eyes.

“When I was station head in Hong Kong, there was a young agent named Tiago Rodriguez. He was a brilliant agent, James. Good looking, charming, and extremely arrogant.”

“Sounds like me.”

A small huffing laugh escaped her as she shook her head, then turned toward him and opened her eyes. “No. He was nothing like you. Yes, you were, and still can be, quite arrogant, but not in the same way as Rodriguez. No, your arrogance was mostly a façade; I realized that almost right away.”

Yes, James smiled, she had seen through him rather quickly.

“You worked hard to earn your commission, and then you worked doubly so to make it to Double O. So, in a way, your arrogance was understandable, even expected. Yes, you were a little unpredictable, and prone to going off script at times.”

James’ smile became a grin as he remembered their conversation in Geoffrey’s office so long ago, where she’d told him the same thing.

“But you were never arrogant to the point of believing yourself infallible. Everything came too easy to Rodriguez, and that is what made his arrogance intolerable.” She shook her head. “Tiago was vain. Extremely vain. But he was also very insecure, and had an absolute need for approval and validation.”

“And he expected all that from you?”

Olivia nodded. “Yes.”

“Sounds like he was infatuated with you.”

“He was.” She sighed. “It wasn’t the first time a young agent had developed a crush on me, so I thought nothing of it. It was harmless, or so I thought. Then little by little, I realized it was more than that. Even reminding him that I was a married woman, had little effect, especially as Reginald had opted to remain in London while I was stationed in Hong Kong. And the one time they did meet…”

“He realized Reg was gay.”

“Yes. He stepped up his efforts after that.”

“Were you ever tempted?”

Olivia shook her head.

“Not even a little?”

“No. I was still in love with you.”

James smiled tenderly at her as he reached for her hand.

“So, what happened?” he asked, as their fingers laced together.

“I kept refusing him, and then he started operating beyond his brief, hacking the Chinese. The handover was coming up, and they were on to him, so I gave him up,” she said sadly. “I didn’t want to, but he gave me no choice.”

It always hurt to lose an agent. Even if the agent was one that needed to be lost.

“I got six agents in return, and a peaceful transition,” she finished. “Many in the SIS thought that’s why I got the promotion to M. The truth is, I had already been selected for the position five months before the transition.”

“What happened to him?”

“I did my best to keep tabs on him, but information was scarce. Five years later, I heard that he’d been killed. I sought proof, but was never given any beyond a massively redacted report from the Chinese prison he’d been sent to. And over time, I just forgot about him.”

“So why do you think what’s happening is his doing?”

“Toward the end, before I gave him up, Tiago took to calling me ‘mommy’,” she told him. “He had, what today I suppose would be called a ‘mommy kink’.”

“’Think on your sins, mommy’,” James recited the words on the card from the video. “Your sins, giving him up.”

“Giving him up, not giving in to his advances,” Olivia replied, then sighed, her eyes closing once more. “I should have demanded more proof of his death.”

“What’s done is done. Don’t second guess yourself now. That won’t help anything.”

“I know.”

“So, we need to find out if this Rodriguez character is alive, if he’s behind this, and where he is?”

“Yes.”

“Nothing we haven’t done before.”

A soft smile came to her lips as she slowly opened her eyes.

“I am so glad you’re here,” she whispered.

James smiled, and gently squeezed her fingers. “I’m going to draw that bath for you,” he told her. He raised their hands, and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “Stay here. I’ll be back in a few moments.”

“All right.”

James brushed his lips over her knuckles again, then released her hand, and got to his feet.

Olivia watched him walk into the bedroom, then turned to look up at the ceiling when he disappeared into the bedroom.

She took a deep breath.

“I should have demanded proof,” she muttered to herself. “I know it’s you, Tiago.”

She closed her eyes.

A soft caress to her cheek had her lips curling into a smile.

“Your bath awaits.”

She opened her eyes to find him gazing down at her. She placed her hand in his when he held it out to her, and allowed him to pull her up off the sofa, then lead her, without speaking, into the bathroom.

Lavender scented steam filled the room, as Olivia crossed over to stand beside the tub, then immediately began unbuttoning her blouse.

“Stop that,” James said, closing the door, then walking over to her. “I’m supposed to be taking care of you, remember?”

“I do know how to undress.”

“I know.” James reached out to take over releasing the buttons. “But I love getting you out of your clothes.”

A tired giggle escaped her, as he pushed her blouse off her shoulders – she’d removed her blazer within minutes of entering the suite. “I know you do.”

Olivia fell quiet, and let James undress her.

“The tub’s large enough for two people,” she pointed out, as he lowered the zipper on her skirt, then allowed the garment to fall to the floor. “Will you join me?”

“Just let me clean up from dinner first,” James replied, dropping a kiss to her bare shoulder, then kneeling to remove her stockings.

“All right.”

James stood, turned her around to face him, then leaned down to give her a light kiss before he helped her into the tub.

She sank down into the hot water with a deep moan.

“Don’t fall asleep,” he told her.

“I won’t. Don’t be too long.”

James smiled. “I won’t,” he said, then left the bathroom.

Olivia closed her eyes with a sigh.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“You’ve not fallen asleep, have you?”

“No.”

“Still want me to join you?”

Olivia slowly opened her eyes, and smiled at the sight of James standing naked beside the tub. Her eyes drifted over him, and she felt a small flutter of pleasure between her thighs when she saw his cock, which while not fully erect, was slowly growing hard.

When she met his gaze, quirking an amused eyebrow, he shrugged. “What can I say, you have that effect on me.”

She hummed her amusement, then sat up. “Yes, I still want you to join me.”

He grinned.

Olivia scooted forward, hugging her knees, as James climbed into the tub behind her. Once he was settled, his legs stretched out on either side of her, James tugged her back so that she was reclining against his chest.

She sighed happily when he wrapped his arms around her, his cock nestled against the small of her back, and held her close. “When this is all over, I want to put a tub like this in our bathroom.”

“Your tub already fits two.”

“Our tub,” she corrected him. “And yes, it does, but it’s not heated like this one.”

James chuckled. “That is a nice feature.”

“Mmhmm.”

They fell into a comfortable silence, Olivia’s fingers tracing idle patterns over his thighs.

“Hand me the soap,” he murmured against her temple.

“I can --”

“Me pampering you, remember?”

She smiled even though he couldn’t see it, and grabbed the bar of soap.

“Thank you,” he said, when she placed it in his hand.

He dipped it in the water, then with his arms still around her, began to work up a rich lather. Once he was satisfied, he placed the soap on the side of the tub, then cupped her breasts.

“James…” she moaned, as his hands moved over and under her breasts, massaging the full mounds. She felt her nipples tighten under the tender touch, then mewled softly when he released her breasts, and moved to her shoulders. “Tease.”

James chuckled. “So, tell me what happened with Mallory.”

Olivia sighed. “In a nut shell, I have been asked,” she lifted her hands, and made air quotes around ‘asked’, “to retire.”

“What?! Why?” He rubbed his soapy hands up and down her arms, all the way to the tips of her fingers.

“Well, I am seventy-two years old. I probably should have done so years ago,” she said. “However, in this case, it’s because of the hard drive.”

“But it hadn’t been stolen when you met with him.”

“True, but it still brought the list of agents to the attention of our allies.”

“Ah.” He reached for the soap once again, worked up more lather, then placed his hands on her stomach. 

“And when they find out, if they haven’t already, that the actual hard drive was stolen from my flat…” She shook her head. “It’s all a bloody mess.”

“So, again, we need to find out if this Rodriguez character is alive, if he’s behind this, and where he is,” James said, repeating his statement from the lounge.

“Yes.”

“I want to know how they knew about the safe.”

“I had something similar in Hong Kong,” she told him in a quiet voice. “He knew about it.”

He simply nodded, as he moved his hands in small circles over her stomach and sides, and down to her thighs. He brushed his fingers against the curls covering her pussy, then stroked them back up over her stomach to her breasts. He cupped the still soapy mounds for a moment, then lowered his hands to the water.

He scooped the water up, and dribbled it over her breasts and stomach to rinse off the soap.

“James?”

“Mmm…?” He hummed, as he continued to rinse her off.

“I need to ask a favour of you. Possibly two.”

“Anything, Olivia. You know that.”

“Will you let me reinstate you now to Double O status? I will need to send someone I trust implicitly after Rodriguez.”

James placed his hands on her shoulders. “If it is him.”

“It is him, James,” she said. “Every instinct I have screams that it’s him.”

“Okay, it’s him.” He squeezed her shoulders. “So, yes.”

“Yes?”

“Reinstate me, and I’ll go get him for you.”

Olivia closed her eyes, and let her head fall back against his chest. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. You know I would do anything for you.”

“I know,” she whispered.

“And the second favour?”

Olivia reached up to grab his hands. She drew his left hand to her breast, and his right hand she placed between her thighs. She covered both with her hands, holding them in place. She tilted her head so she could look at him, and opened her eyes. 

“Make love to me.”

“Are you sure? I know how tired you are.”

She smiled. “I’m very sure,” she replied, as she pressed his hand more firmly against her sex. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth with a moan when James slipped his middle finger between the lips of her pussy, and rubbed her clit.

Her body arched when he squeezed her breast, pinching and pulling her nipple, teasing it into a hard point. He rubbed her clit with firm strokes, pausing to dip the tip of his finger inside her.

“I love touching you like this,” he told her, his voice pitched low, as he added a second finger, thrusting them deep, the soapy water aiding his penetration. “Feeling you respond so eagerly to me.”

“…James…” she moaned again, feeling his cock swell against her back. “Mmm…”

“You feel so good,” James said, as he continued to stroke his fingers in and out of her, his thumb riding her swollen clit.

Olivia grasped his wrist, her nails biting into his skin. “Oh god… oh…”

She came with a soft cry of his name, her body writhing against his.

“So damn sexy,” he murmured, kissing her neck as he stilled his fingers inside her. When the quivering of her inner muscles slowed, he eased his fingers out of her, and cupped her sex.

Olivia released a shaky breath, then tilted her head, seeking his mouth with hers.

They shared a long, deep kiss.

“Thank you,” she whispered against his lips.

“My pleasure.”

Olivia gave him a slightly dazed smile. “Take me to bed now. Take me to bed, and make love to me until we’re both too exhausted to think.”

He kissed her again, then nodded.

They rinsed off, then got out of the tub.

They dried each other off with the fluffy hotel towels, and then, much to her delight, James scooped Olivia up into his arms, and carried her out of the bathroom, leaving the towels in a pile on the floor.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Inside the bedroom, which was dark save for the one lamp on the night table, James carried Olivia across to the bed.

Spotting the bottle of lube on the night table, she gave him a knowing look. “Hoping I would change my mind?”

He shook his head. “Hoping to put my morning erection to good use.”

A delighted laugh bubbled up out of her.

James grinned as he knelt on the edge of the mattress, then leaned down to place her in the centre of the bed. Straightening up, he stared down at her, and his grin faded into a look of profound love.

“Come here, James,” she said quietly, holding her arms out to him.

James nodded, and lowered himself down, covering her body with his. Olivia wrapped her arms around him, and held him close as their mouths met once again.

They rolled onto their sides, their legs entangling as they continued to trade hungry kisses, and let their hands wander.

Olivia’s one arm curled beneath his head, her fingers threading in his hair, as her other hand slid over his side to stroke his back; caressing the hot, firm flesh, still damp from their bath.

James’ hand trailed lightly down her side to her hip, before curling around the curve of her arse. He gave the cheek of her arse a playful pat, followed by a squeeze, then slid his hand down her thigh to grasp behind her knee. He guided her knee up over his hip as he slipped his thigh between hers, and pressed it firmly against her sex.

Olivia moaned, and rocked against him. She could feel his cock leaking against her stomach, and the thought sent a pulse of lust through her, and she kissed him harder. The pressure and friction against her clit felt so good… 

…so good, she thought, steadily riding his thigh.

James smiled inwardly. 

He loved it when Olivia gave herself over to her lust for him.

James stroked her thigh, then her arse, guiding her movements. “That’s it,” he encouraged her when she pulled her mouth from his, panting for breath. 

She was hot against his thigh. Hot and wet.

“Come for me, Olivia,” James whispered hoarsely.

“Oh…” she ground herself against his thigh. “James…”

James squeezed her arse, and pressed his thigh against her.

Olivia’s breath hitched, and then she gasped James’ name as she came with a whimper, still riding his thigh. 

James nuzzled her temple as she leaned her head against his shoulder, her body shuddering in his embrace. “So damn sexy,” he murmured against her temple.

“Hmm…” Olivia hummed, the pleasure continuing to thrum through her veins. She slipped her hand between them, and curled her fingers around his cock.

She wanted him inside her.

Now.

“I need you inside me,” Olivia told him, lightly stroking his length.

“God, yes,” James replied. He brushed a kiss to her lips, then rolled away to grab the lube and a few tissues. He flipped open the lube, squirted some into his hand and coated his cock with the cool gel. He wiped his hand on the tissues, then tossed them and the now closed bottle of lube back onto the night table.

James turned back to Olivia, then leaned in to kiss her.

As they kissed, James allowed her to pull him with her as she rolled onto her back. He groaned into the kiss when his cock slipped between the lips of her pussy. He rocked against her, grinning against her mouth when she arched beneath him, tugging him closer still.

“James, please…” 

He shifted, reaching between them to grab hold of his cock, put himself in place, then slowly pressed inside her.

“Ooh, yes…” Olivia moaned. 

She loved when James entered her slowly so she could feel every inch of him stretching and filling her.

“You feel so good,” she told him, her voice rough with need.

James nibbled her bottom lip. “So do you,” he responded, then kissed her fully as he began to move, his tongue sliding against her in time with the gentle thrusting of his cock.

“Mmm…” Olivia hummed into his mouth, enjoying the slow, steady glide of his cock inside her pussy. He felt so good… so incredibly good. 

“Olivia,” James breathed her name against her lips, softly, reverently, as he continued move inside her, delighting in her soft moans of pleasure.

“Oh, James…” she gasped, and clutched him closer, as a pulse of pleasure rippled through her. 

Their kiss deepened as they continued to rock their bodies leisurely together, allowing the pleasure, the passion, to build slowly. 

When Olivia wrapped her legs around his waist, her ankles locking over his rear, James knew that slow and easy was no longer enough. 

He broke off the kiss and met her eyes.

Olivia smiled up at him, her eyes dark with desire, and gave him a small nod.

James pushed up onto his arms, then slowly withdrew from the warmth of her body, leaving only the head of his cock within her. He held himself still for only a heartbeat, then thrust back inside her.

“Oh yes…” they moaned in unison as he, once again, filled her completely.

They quickly established a hard rhythm as they moved against each other; their bodies working in sync - thrusting, driving, clenching - striving for that pinnacle of ultimate pleasure they knew they would only find in each other.

Olivia held James’s eyes, hers sparkling with obvious delight at the sensations coursing through her as he continued to move within her. She slid her hands along his sides then trailed them over his chest; paying special attention to his nipples, which she lightly scratched with her nails, before she reached down to stroke his belly.

James groaned, and thrust harder into her when her hand slipped lower, her fingers dancing over his erection as it moved fluidly in and out of her wet heat. 

“Olivia…” he growled her name, as she continued to stroke him in time with each drive of his hips, feeling the beginnings of his orgasm tingling in the base of his spine.

“James!” Olivia gasped, and tightened her legs around him.

“I know, Olivia…” James panted. He could hear the urgency in her voice, feel the urgency in her body, and he knew that she was on the edge of her own release.

He thrust harder.

Olivia groaned.

He pushed deeper.

Olivia cried out.

Faster and faster, James drove his cock into her; each stroke pushing them closer and closer to the release each sought. 

Olivia removed her hand from between them to clutch the sheets, as she unwound her legs from around him, planting her feet on the bed, and lifting her hips to meet each of his thrusts.

“Harder, James…” she urged him. “…faster…”

James complied, his hips pounding against hers.

“Oh yes…” Olivia moaned in delight, as she felt the beginnings of her orgasm take hold.

Suddenly, James’s world shifted into mindlessness, and with a final, hard thrust, he groaned her name, his release consuming him as he spilled his seed inside her.

Seconds later, with his hips still jerking against hers, Olivia came, crying out his name, writhing beneath him as the pulsating spasms exploded and spread throughout her body.

James collapsed on top of her, his arms no longer able to hold him, and lay vulnerable in her embrace. Olivia wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight against her, and loosely tangled her legs with his as soft aftershocks of pleasure continued to shake their bodies.

“Mmm…” 

James felt and heard Olivia’s sigh of satisfaction as she languidly rubbed his back in a soothing motion. He smiled and pressed a kiss to her shoulder before lifting his head to gaze down at her, pleased to see a look of contented bliss in her blue eyes.

They’d only made love a handful of times in the week since they’d been reunited, and each time, it only got better; more fulfilling. 

For both of them.

He rested his forehead against hers.

“Can you still think?” 

Olivia laughed softly. “Only just.”

James chuckled, then captured her mouth in a loving kiss.

When the kiss ended several minutes later, James eased his softening cock from her body, and shifted off her, rolling to the side.

He reached out, grabbed a few tissues, then turned back to her. He cleaned her up, wiping the lube and his cum from her sex and inner thighs, then did the same to his cock. He tossed the soiled tissues into the bin between the bed and night table, then put out the light.

When James turned back to her, Olivia had rolled onto her side facing away from him. He spooned against her, curling his body around hers.

“Thank you,” Olivia whispered.

James knew she wasn’t talking about making love. “You’re welcome.”

“Promise me you’ll be careful.”

“I promise.” He held her tighter. “Now, stop thinking, and go to sleep.”

Olivia reached for his hand, which was resting on her hip, and laced her fingers with his, then drew their clasped hands to her chest, clutching them between her breasts. “Yes, sir,” she murmured on the trailing edge of a yawn, then mumbled, “…love you.”

James pressed his face into her hair. “I love you, too.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

A sharp pain lancing through his gut woke him.

He tried to ignore it; convinced it was simply his stomach’s reaction to the burger and chips he’d eaten earlier.

Olivia was right, he thought, closing his eyes and snuggling closer to her. I shouldn’t have had it.

Another strong pain shot through him.

James grimaced, then carefully extricated himself from Olivia’s arms. He got out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom. He’d just closed the door when another spasm wracked his body. He fell to his knees, with a loud groan, onto the towels of they’d left in front of the tub, his arms clutched around his middle.

The pain spread rapidly through his body, every inch of him hurting.

This is not gas, James thought as he groaned again, then toppled over, curling up in the fetal position.

“Fuck!” he swore, his entire body spasming. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”

“James!?” Olivia’s voice cut through the pain, and he opened his eyes to find her crouched next to him, her face a mask of concern. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t think I should have had that burger,” he told her, grimacing again.

“I don’t think this is the burger,” Olivia said, laying a hand on his shoulder.

No. It wasn’t the burger, James thought. This was something else entirely, but he was not about to tell that to Olivia. She had enough on her plate already, and he did not want to worry about him.

He took a deep breath when he felt the pain began to ease, then sat up. He gave her a reassuring smile. “Of course, it is.”

She shook her head. “James.”

“Olivia. I’m okay,” he told her, getting to his feet, then reaching down to help her up. “Honest.”

The look she gave him, told him she did not believe him, but would not push. Yet.

“Go back to bed,” James said. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Olivia sighed, then nodded and left.

James closed the bathroom door, then leaned back against it, and closed his eyes.

What the hell is going on, he wondered.


	10. Chapter 10

“The assailment hacked into the environmental control system, locked out the safety protocols, and turned on the gas. All of which should have been impossible,” Tanner told them from the front seat as they crossed over the Waterloo Bridge.

“On top of that, they hacked into your files, ma’am. They knew your appointments. They knew you’d be out of the building,” he finished.

“They weren’t targeting her,” James said, then turned to Olivia. “They wanted you to see it.”

Olivia nodded, but remained silent. She’d already come to that conclusion herself.

The Rover passed through a guarded wrought iron gate which swung open at the vehicle’s approach.

“Where are we, Tanner?” James asked, as the car continued down a winding road.

“New digs,” Tanner replied, as the Rover passed through an open garage door.

“This is Churchill’s old bunker,” Olivia told James.

“The one Q hid me away in?” 

“Yes.” Olivia nodded.

They were quiet for the remainder of the ride. Several minutes later, Richards slowed, then stopped the Rover in front of a large door guarded by two men with machine guns, much like the ones they’d passed earlier.

“The old building was declared strategically vulnerable,” Tanner said, as they exited the vehicle. 

“That’s an understatement,” James remarked, then shrugged when Olivia arched a brow at him. “It’s a nice building, but it does stand out.”

Olivia smirked, then shrugged. He wasn’t wrong.

She acknowledged the guards with a nod, as she followed Tanner into the bunker, James right behind her.

“Whoever it was breached the most secure computer system in Britain,” Tanner continued, leading the way through the narrow, dimly lit corridors.

“So, we’re on war footing now,” Olivia responded.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“We’re still discovering tunnels dating back to the eighteenth century,” he told them, rounding a corner. “It’s really quite fascinating.”

Olivia and James exchanged amused glances.

They walked down another stretch of corridor, at the end of which was an open doorway. James could see a railing, and what he assumed were stairs leading to a lower level in the brightly lit room.

“There should be a guard here,” James pointed out to Olivia as they walked through what was actually a short archway, then stopped.

“I agree.” She nodded. “Tanner.”

“I’ll see to it, ma’am,” he said, then gestured to the lower level. “Welcome to the new MI6.”

Tanner smiled, then descended the stairs.

It was bigger than she realized, Olivia thought, as she gazed out over the large room.

“They’ve done a lot in one night,” James noted.

“Yes, they have,” Olivia replied, feeling a surge of pride as she watched her people hard at work.

“Come on,” he said softly, gesturing to the stairs.

She nodded, then made her way down the steps, James beside her. When they reached the bottom, she turned to James.

“I’ll see you when you’ve finished all the tests.”

James nodded.

“Do not forget to tell Aiken what happened last night.”

“I won’t.”

“I’m serious, James.”

“I won’t forget, Olivia. I promise.”

“Good. And I know you do not care for psychologists, but please do not give Doctor Hall a hard time.”

“I won’t.” 

Olivia favoured him with a smile. 

A young man of about twenty years old approached them.

“Ma’am,” Tanner said. “This is Kyle. He’s here to escort Mr. Bond to the medical wing.”

Olivia nodded, then turned to James. “Good luck.”

“Thank you, M.” James returned her smile, then turned to Kyle. “Lead the way.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“This is where I was told you would be meeting with Doctor Hall,” Kyle told James, pointing to a nondescript door. 

James leaned back against the wall across from the door, and crossed his arms. He’d spent the morning enduring various tests to ensure his fitness and readiness for being reinstated as a Double O. 

_“It’s only for appearances,”_ Olivia had told him earlier that morning while they were eating breakfast. _“I am reinstating you. But I need you take them seriously, James.”_

He’d promised her he would.

And he had.

Marksmanship test. Endurance test. And now the psychological exam.

James sighed, then gave the young man a small smile. “Thank you, Kyle.”

Kyle smiled, then glanced at his tablet. “After this, I’m to take you to Doctor Aiken for your physical.”

James nodded.

At that moment, the door opened. A man, who looked to be in his middle fifties stood in the doorway. “Mr. Bond, I’m Doctor Hall.”

“Doctor Hall.” Bond inclined his head, then turned to Kyle. “Go get yourself a coffee, Kyle.”

“I’ll do that. Thank you, sir,” Kyle said, then turned and walked away.

Hall stepped back into the room, and gestured for James to join him. 

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Ma’am, Mr. Mallory is here to see you.”

Olivia closed her eyes.

She did not have time to deal with him; not with having to get things back up and running here.

She took a deep breath, then opened her eyes.

“Send him in, Tanner.”

A few moments later, she heard the outer door open again, followed by footsteps.

“Good morning, M.”

Olivia looked up from the folder on her desk. “Mallory,” she acknowledged him with a nod. “I wasn’t aware we had an appointment.”

“We don’t,” Mallory replied, standing before her desk. “But under the circumstances, I felt it prudent to stop by.”

“Did you?”

“Your office was blown up, and on top of that, you lost the hard drive.”

“No. I did not lose the hard drive. It was stolen.”

“Semantics, M. The point of the matter is that list is now in the hands of some terrorist we know nothing about.”

“I am aware of that, Mallory.”

“What are you doing about it?”

Olivia’s eyes narrowed at the condescending tone of Mallory’s voice. “I’m going to sit back, and wait for whoever has it to decode it. What the hell do you think I am going about it?!”

“There’s no need to take that tone, M.”

“Isn’t there? You waltz into my office, and condescendingly question my methods once again. I am not the one who insisted on keeping that bloody list. I warned everyone there was a chance this could happen, no matter what precautions were taken.”

Mallory took a step back. “You’re right,” he said, with a more neutral tone of voice. “I apologize for my tone. I was not questioning your methods so much as trying to get a handle on what you are planning.”

Olivia nodded her acceptance of his apology. “Thank you,” she said, then gestured for him to take a seat. “The first thing I plan to do is get our undercover agents out of their current assignments on the off chance the list is decrypted, and their covers are exposed.”

“Good idea,” Mallory replied. “Best not to take any chances. Do you have a lead on who has stolen the drive?”

Olivia shook her head. She wasn’t ready to divulge Rodriguez’s name. Not without substantiated proof. “Only suspicion given the location of the fake drive.”

“Who do you suspect?”

“I won’t divulge the name until I have proof.”

“And how do you plan to get that proof?”

“I am sending an agent to track him down.”

“Which agent?”

“007.”

“Double O…” Mallory’s brow furrowed in confusion. “There is no – I was under the impression that a previous M had effectively retired that particular license as a way of honouring the agent. An agent who was killed in an explosion forty years ago.”

“Forty-one years ago, actually,” Olivia replied, then sat back in her chair. “James Bond, it turns out, is very much alive.”

“He’s… what?!” Mallory exclaimed. “How is that even possible? And if he’s still alive, then he’d be over seventy years old, and can’t possibly be used as a field agent.”

“It’s a long story. Suffice it to say, James _IS_ over seventy. Seventy-three years old to be exact, though physically, he is still only thirty-two.”

“How?”

Olivia took a deep breath, then launched into an abbreviated tale of how James had returned; doing her best to keep the nature of their relationship as ambiguous as possible.

“Amazing.” Mallory shook his head. “And you’re certain he’s fit enough to be reinstated?”

“I am, yes. Doctor Aiken has been monitoring him, and his marksmanship skills are as good now as they were forty years ago.”

“And being so long in the deep freeze hasn’t caused any psychological damage?”

“Not that I’ve seen,” she replied, then glanced at her computer. “He should be finishing his marksmanship test now, and will be meeting with Doctor Hall next for his psychological evaluation, and after that is his physical with Doctor Aiken. So we’ll know soon enough.”

“You’re not planning to observe the session?”

“I wasn’t, no.”

“Really? I would think you’d be curious.”

He had her there. She was curious. But she also wanted to respect James’ privacy.

“I am,” Olivia admitted.

Mallory got to his feet. “Shall we?”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Olivia entered the observation room, Mallory and Tanner right behind her, taking a position near the far wall.

Looking through the two-way mirror, she watched as Doctor Hall crossed the room, and opened the door.

_“Mr. Bond, I’m Doctor Hall.”_

_“Doctor Hall.”_ She heard James reply. _“Go get yourself a coffee, Kyle.”_

Moments later, James came into view. 

She could not help smiling when he shot a look at the two-way mirror, and smirked as he made his way to the table, and sat down opposite the doctor. 

Is anyone ever fooled by a two-way mirror, Olivia thought.

“He really hasn’t aged,” Mallory commented, and Olivia turned to look at him. “I’ve seen photos.”

Olivia nodded, then turned back to the window when she heard Doctor Hall begin to speak.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Let’s begin, shall we?”

James nodded.

“I’d like to start with some simple word associations,” Hall told him. “Just tell me the first word that pops into your head. For example, I might say ‘day’, and you might say --”

“Wasted.”

Hall noted the amused glint in Bond’s eyes, and shook his head.

“Don’t worry, Doctor. I am taking this seriously.”

“Good.” Hall nodded. “Gun.”

“Shot.”

“Heart.”

“Target.”

They went back and forth exchanging words.

“Bird,” Hall said.

“Sky.”

“Sunlight.”

“Swim.”

“Moonlight.”

“Dance.”

“Country.”

“England.”

“Skyfall.”

“Past.”

“Time.”

“Lost.”

“M.”

James paused, then a small smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. “Life.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Olivia felt Mallory shift beside her.

“Interesting,” he said quietly, then left.

Olivia continued to stare through the window at James.

“Shall we get back to work, Tanner,” she said, as Doctor Hall continued his evaluation.

“Yes, ma’am.”

They left the observation room.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Ma’am.”

Olivia looked up at Tanner as they approached her new office, then followed his gaze, and groaned.

Mallory was there.

“I was hoping he’d left,” she muttered under her breath, then glanced up at Tanner when she heard him stifle a huff of laughter. 

“Sorry,” he murmured sheepishly.

She simply smiled and shook her head, then sighed. “Let’s get this over with.”

Moments later, they entered her office.

“Mallory. I thought you’d left,” she said.

“I remembered there was another matter I wished to discuss with you,” he replied. “In private, if you please.”

“Tanner.”

Tanner nodded. He gathered up his computer, then left M’s office, seating himself at the desk just outside the door.

“So, what can I do for you?” Olivia asked as she took her seat.

“I…” Mallory began, then slipped his hands into his trouser pockets, and rocked back on his heels.

“You’ve been selected to replace me.”

“Succeed you. Not replace you. However, yes.” He nodded, then sat in the chair in front of her desk. “I want you to know, I was not seeking this. I certainly did not ask for it. I’ve only just taken the ISC position, so moving into a new one so soon is most certainly not on my agenda at this time.”

Olivia nodded. She prided herself on being able to read people, and her gut was telling her that Mallory was being truthful with her. She could also see, that beyond the bureaucracy, Mallory seemed to be a decent man.

“So how can I help?”

“I was hoping you would be willing to assign one of your people to work with me. A liaison to help with the transition to ensure it goes smoothly,” he said. “And to advise me on MI6 procedures, etc.”

“I think we can arrange that,” Olivia told him.

“Thank you, M.”

Olivia reached for the intercom. “Tanner, can you come in here, please.”

Moments later, Tanner s was in her office, looking at her with an expectant look on his face. 

“Has Moneypenny been cleared for duty?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. I would like her temporarily reassigned to Mr. Mallory,” Oliva told him, and then seeing the confusion in Tanner’s eyes, she explained, “In two months, I will be retiring. Mallory will be taking over as M.”

Tanner’s eyes grew wide; his shock palpable.

Olivia gave him an apologetic look, feeling bad for springing the news on him in this fashion. As her Chief of Staff, he deserved better.

To his credit, the shock and confusion did not remain on his face long, and he nodded. “I will let Moneypenny know of the change in her assignment.”

“Thank you, Bill.”

“Yes, thank you, Mr. Tanner,” Mallory said.

Tanner nodded, then left.

Olivia looked over at Mallory. “I want you to promise me two things.”

“If I can, yes.”

“Fair enough. All right, the first thing, once the transition is complete, you will assign Moneypenny her first two kills, and promote her to Double O status.”

“And the second thing?”

“Keep Tanner on as your Chief of Staff. You will never find anyone better.”

Mallory smiled and nodded. “I promise.”

“Thank you,” Olivia said. “You won’t regret it.”

“I’m sure I won’t,” Mallory replied, then sat back in his chair. “I truly am sorry about this, M. If it were up to me, I’d keep you on until you yourself were ready to retire.”

She was touched. “I appreciate that. Thank you.”

“There is one other thing…” He hesitated.

“Bond?”

“Bond. He’s more than just an old co-worker, isn’t he?”

“Yes,” Olivia answered simply.

Mallory nodded, but before he could say anything more, Tanner returned with Moneypenny.

“Gareth Mallory, Eve Moneypenny,” Olivia made the introductions, then looked to Eve. “Tanner has explained to you what you will be doing?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“This is not a demotion, Eve. You are still on track for becoming a Double O,” Olivia told her, and saw the relief in the younger woman’s face. “This is only temporary.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“I appreciate your assistance, Miss Moneypenny,” Mallory said.

Eve smiled.

“And there is no time like the present to get started.” He turned to Olivia. “Thank you again, M.”

“You’re welcome,” she replied.

Mallory gave her a grateful smile, then he and Moneypenny left.

“I’m sorry, Bill,” Olivia said, turning to face him. “I had planned to tell you, but with everything that happened yesterday, there just hasn’t been a chance.”

“I understand. Thank you, M,” he replied, then asked with only slight hesitation, “Was it your choice?”

“No.”

Tanner frowned. “Is it because of the hard drive?”

Olivia nodded.

“Did you know Mallory would be taking your place?”

“Not until today. Apparently, he only just found out himself.”

“Do you believe him?”

“I do, actually,” she replied. “And I’ve suggested he keep you on as Chief of Staff. So do consider staying on.”

“I will. Thank you.”

Olivia smiled, then placed her hands flat on her desk. “All right, so what is next on the agenda for today?”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

James wandered into the new medical section, Kyle following.

“Ah, James. Right on time,” Aiken said, then turned to Kyle. “You may go now.”

“Thank you, Kyle,” James said to the young man.

“You’re welcome, Mr. Bond,” Kyle replied. He nodded to the doctor, then left.

“So, how are you feeling today, James?”

“A little sore and tired from all the tests today, but not too bad otherwise,” James told him. 

“Are you still experiencing the pain you told me about?” Aiken asked.

James regarded the doctor for a moment, then sighed and nodded. “I had an attack last night. A bad one. At first, I thought it was due to the burger and chips I had for dinner last night, but the pain wasn’t just in my gut.”

Aiken frowned.

“I’ve been going over Doctor Newman’s notes, but I’ve not seen any mention of the test subjects experiencing anything like this.”

“But all of Newman’s test subjects were animals. I was his first human subject.”

Aiken nodded. “I’d like to do an MRI. Let’s see what we can see, shall we?”

“You’re the doctor,” James replied, following Aiken out of the ward.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“I’ll let her know. Thank you,” Tanner said, then hung up the phone. He turned in his chair to face M. “That was the Doctor. James’ physical is finished, and he’s on his way up.”

Olivia glanced at her watch, and her brows rose in surprise. It was much later than she’d realized.

“Have we really been working that long?”

Tanner nodded.

Olivia sat back in her chair. “I think we can call it a day, then, don’t you?”

“Yes, ma’am.” 

“What do we have scheduled for tomorrow?”

Tanner reached for his tablet, and pulled up the planner. “First thing tomorrow morning, you’re scheduled to pay your respects to eight personnel who were killed in the explosion.”

Olivia nodded sadly, then listened as Tanner rattled off the rest of her itinerary. He finished seconds before James arrived.

She smiled when she saw him.

“All done for the day?” he asked.

“As a matter of fact,” Olivia pushed her chair back, and stood, “yes.”

“Good. So, we can go home? Well, back to the hotel.”

“Oh,” Tanner said. “Your flat’s been cleared. The inspection team, and Q branch have been over every inch of it. They’ve found no listening devices, no cameras, and no booby traps of any kind. The safe still needs to be replaced, but they have repaired the hinges on the painting, and your security system has been upgraded.”

“Very good,” Olivia said, then looked at James. “Home it is, then.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“I had a visit from Mallory today,” Olivia told James, idly tracing her fingers over his bare chest.

“The hard drive?”

Olivia nodded. “Yes.”

“You knew it would happen.”

“I did.”

“What did he have to say, and is he still alive?”

In spite of herself, Olivia snorted a laugh, then playfully slapped his chest. “He is. Too much paperwork involved otherwise.”

James chuckled, and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. 

“He asked what I was planning to do to retrieve the hard drive, and find out who was behind stealing it. I told him I was reinstating you, and sending you in.”

“How’d that go over?”

“He was surprised, and after I explained how you were still alive, he insisted on observing your session with Doctor Hall.”

“I had a feeling you were there.”

“Is that why you answered Hall the way you did with the word association?”

James shook his head. “I would have answered that way regardless,” he told her, then slipped his fingers beneath her chin to tilt her head back, and looked deep into her eyes. “You are my life, Olivia.”

She smiled, laying her hand over his heart. “And you mine.”

James ducked his head, and brushed his lips over hers, then settled back against the pillows, gathering her close once more.

“Then what happened?”

“When I got back to my office, Mallory was waiting. It’s been decided by the higher ups, that he is the one who will replace me as M in two months,” she finished sadly.

“I’m sorry, Olivia,” he said, rubbing her back. “But would it be so bad to retire? I know it’s not something you were considering, but now…” His voice trailed off.

“Now you’re back in my life,” she finished.

“Yes. I would never have asked you to retire,” James told her. “However, now that it’s being forced on you, would it really be that bad? We’d have more time together.”

“Yes, we would,” she agreed. “And that is the only consolation.” She kissed his chest, then rose up on her elbow to look down at him. “So, to answer your question, no. It wouldn’t be so bad now.”

James smiled.

Olivia shifted up a little, then leaned down to kiss him.

Several minutes later, the kiss ended, and she nestled back into his arms, tucking her head beneath his chin. The steady beating of his heart beneath her ear soon lulled her to sleep, and her body relaxed against his.

James tightened his arms around her, trying to ignore the pain shooting through his limbs.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Olivia stood in front of the eight coffins, each one draped with the Union Jack.

Brad Russell

Thomas Rogers

Lionel Collins

Graham Wilkinson

Ian Thompson

Rachel Kelley

Sandra Davis

Massie Keating

She repeated the names over and over in her mind. 

Eight innocent people – her people - dead. So many more injured. And all because of a mistake she’d made fifteen years earlier.

She sighed.

This should not have happened, she told herself.

“It’s not your fault, Olivia.”

She shook her head.

“Yes, it is,” she said, in a quiet voice.

“You weren’t to know this would happen.”

“It makes no difference. The fault lies with me.”

James squeezed her fingers.

He knew he would not be able to convince her otherwise. At least not right now.

The doors at the far end of the hall opened. 

“It’s time to go, ma’am,” Tanner said.

“I’m going to find whoever did this,” Olivia said, turning to give James a pointed look.

He nodded. 

Yes. They would find the man responsible.

“Come on,” James murmured, tugging gently on her hand.

Stepping around the coffin, Olivia slipped her hand in the crook of his arm, and they walked out of the hall.

Duty called.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

James paced the room.

He hated to be kept waiting.

Patience on an assignment was one thing, but this – he glanced around the empty stone walls – was interminable.

He knew this was just standard procedure; that Olivia was simply following protocol, and that it was also all for show…

“But Christ, I hate waiting!” he muttered, glancing at his watch. It was only knowing Olivia wasn’t doing it on purpose that kept him from losing his temper.

He stopped pacing when, a few minutes later, the door opened, and a young black woman smiled at him.

“She’s ready for you now,” she said.

James nodded, and followed her out of the room.

“And you are?” he asked, though he already knew.

“Eve. Eve Moneypenny.”

“Nice you meet you, Miss Moneypenny. I know your grandparents well,” James told her. “Or rather, I knew them well, once upon a time.”

Moneypenny stopped, and gave him a curious look. “You knew…” She paused, and then realization slowly dawned in her eyes. “You’re James Bond. I’d heard the rumours that you were still alive, I just did not believe them. But you really are him?”

He nodded.

Eve smiled. “My grandparents have mentioned you.”

James chuckled. “I’m sure.”

They resumed walking.

“How are you finding working with Mallory?” James asked.

“Not as exciting as being out in the field,” she admitted. “But I am finding some aspects interesting.”

“So, no plans to remain here?”

“No. I have enjoyed being M’s secretary, but I like being out in the field more, and I want back out there.”

“Good.” James nodded. “We need more agents like you.”

“Thank you.”

They walked the rest of the way in silence.

“You’re to go right in,” Eve told him once they reached Olivia’s office.

“Thank you, Eve.” James smiled, then pushed open the door, and walked inside.

Olivia looked up from the folder she was reading when she heard the door open, and smiled when she saw James. “Have a seat,” she told him. “We’re waiting for Mallory.”

James crossed the office, and sat down. He smiled at the sight of the ceramic bulldog on her desk. He remembered seeing it on her desk in the old building, though without the obvious blast damage it had now.

“The whole office goes up in smoke, and that bloody thing survives?”

Olivia chuckled. “Jack’s a tough old bugger, like me.”

James shook his head as Olivia returned her attention to the folder in her hands. He took the opportunity to observe her.

Yes, he thought. She was indeed tough.

Tough. Strong. Resilient.

It was those very qualities he’d fallen in love with all those years ago. He felt a pang of regret. So much time lost, he thought.

“I can feel you staring.”

“Not my fault you’re so damn beautiful,” he replied, then smirked when he saw her eyes twinkling at him over the top of the folder.

Before he could comment again, the office door opened.

Olivia glanced at the newcomer. “James Bond, Gareth Mallory,” she introduced the two men.

James got to his feet, as Mallory walked toward them.

“I hope I haven’t missed anything; the PM does prattle on in a crisis,” Mallory said, offering his hand to James. “Bond.”

James shook his hand. “Mallory.”

Olivia watched the exchange with interest, then waited for the men to sit. “I’ve just been reviewing Bond’s tests,” she told them, then looked at James. “You’ve passed them all.” She lowered the folder to her desk. “I am officially returning you to Double O status. You’re back on active service.”

“Thank you, M,” James replied.

“Congratulations,” Mallory said.

Bond inclined his head in thanks.

“I have to ask,” Mallory began. “It’s been forty-one years since you’ve been in the field, are you ready for this?”

James nodded. “Yes.”

Mallory regarded him for several moments. “All right,” he said, then got to his feet, stuffing his hands into his trouser pockets. “Good hunting.”

“Thank you,” James replied.

Mallory turned to Olivia. “Will you keep me informed?”

“I will.”

“Thank you.” He pulled his hands out of his pockets, and glanced at his watch. “Forgive me, but I have another meeting to attend.”

“They’re never-ending some days,” Olivia said with understanding.

“That’s an understatement.”

Olivia chuckled.

“M.” Mallory inclined his head with a smile, then left her office.

James looked at Olivia. “So, that was Mallory.”

“Yes.”

“Interesting fellow.”

“Indeed,” Olivia agreed.

“Ma’am, I’m ready,” Tanner called out.

“Good. Please ask Ronson and Moneypenny to join us,” Olivia told him.

“Yes, ma’am.” Tanner waved through the window for the two agents to come inside.

Olivia stood, and gestured to James to join her. He got to his feet, and the two crossed over to Tanner’s desk; Ronson and Moneypenny joining them.

“We’ve analyzed the shrapnel fragments from Ronson’s shoulder,” Tanner told them, then glanced up at Ronson. “You’re lucky it wasn’t a direct hit; it would have cut you in half.” He turned back to his computer. “It’s a depleted uranium shell, military grade. Hard to get. Extremely expensive, and only used by a select few.” He pulled up three images on the screen. “Recognize anyone?”

“The one on the left,” Moneypenny said.

“Ronson?” Olivia asked.

“Eve’s right. The one on the left,” Ronson replied.

“Good. Thank you both,” Olivia said. “Please return to your duties.”

“His name’s Patrice,” Tanner told Olivia and James once Ronson and Moneypenny were gone. “He’s a ghost. No known residence or country of origin.”

“So, how do we find him?” James asked.

“Well, luckily we still have one or two friends left in the CIA,” Tanner answered. “They’re after him for the Yemini Ambassador’s murder. And they’re getting close. Intel is he’s going to be in Shanghai in two days’ time on a job.”

“I’m sending you there,” Olivia told him. “If he shows up, he’s yours. I want you to find out who he’s working for, and who has the list. Then I want you to terminate him.”

“With pleasure.” James nodded. “When am I leaving?”

“Tomorrow,” she replied. “Right now, I’d like you to meet with the young man taking over Q branch until Geoffrey returns for your documentation. He’s also going to show you some of the features of the mobile we’re giving you, and fit you for your weapon.”

“Fit me for… my weapon?” 

“An added security feature.”

James raised a curious eyebrow, then simply nodded.

“He’s set up shop on the other side of the bunker, one level down.”

James nodded. 

“When you’re finished in Q branch, report back here.”

“Yes, ma’am,” James replied. He turned, and made his way to the door.

“007.”

He paused, his hand on the door handle, and looked back at her. It was the first time she’d called him by his number. He liked the sound of it on her lips.

“I should warn you, he’s young.”

“How young?”

“Younger than our daughter, and only a few years older than our granddaughter.”

James sighed.

“Good luck,” she said, her eyes dancing.

“Thanks,” he replied dryly, then left her office, her soft laughter following him.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

James walked into a brightly lit room, filled with dozens of people sitting at desks with computers. He glanced around slowly, then shook his head.

Definitely not the Q branch of old, he thought.

“May I help you?”

James turned to find a tall, thin young man with a mop of unruly dark hair standing before him wearing a dark blue cardigan which looked about a size too big, grey tie – which was crooked, James noted – and black-rimmed glasses. 

He knew, without being told, this was the young man Olivia had told him was looking after Q Branch while Geoffrey was in the hospital.

“May I help you?” the young man asked again, pushing his glasses up. “Only authorized personnel are allowed in here.”

“007,” James said. “M sent me.”

“Ah! Yes, 007,” the young man grinned. “We’re expecting you. Come with me, please.”

He turned sharply on his heel, then hurried away.

James sighed, and followed.

He caught up with the young man as he reached the desk in the centre of the room, the one closest to the large set of screens on the wall.

“Place your hand on the scanner, please.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Your hand. There.” The boy pointed to a dark green panel on the desk.

“Before I do that,” James began. “What’s your name?”

The boy looked startled. “Pardon?”

“Your name. What is it?” James asked. “I’d like to know who I am speaking with.”

“You may call me Q,” he answered.

James shook his head. “Young man, you have not yet earned that title. Perhaps one day, but not yet.”

The two stared at each other.

After several minutes, the younger man huffed and looked away. “Adam,” he muttered.

“It’s good to meet you, Adam,” James said, and held his hand out. “James Bond.”

Surprise showed on Adam’s face, then reached out to shake James’ hand. “You as well, Mr. Bond.”

James released Adam’s hand, then stepped over to the scanner, and placed his hand on the smooth surface. “Like this?”

Adam nodded, as he moved to stand in front of the computer on his desk. “It may get a little warm, but please do not move your hand.”

“All right.”

Adam pushed a key on the computer.

The screen under James’ hand came to life. He watched a line of light move down from the tips of his fingers to the heel of his palm, then back up.

“Done,” Adam said. “You can remove your hand now.”

James lifted his hand, then stepped over to stand beside Adam. He watched with interest as the young quartermaster continued to type away on his computer. It was then he noticed the gun.

“Walther?”

Adam nodded. “Walther PPK S9mm Short. I was told that was your weapon of choice.”

“It is. Although my last Walther was a PP Super,” James said. “So, how exactly are you fitting me for it?”

“There’s a micro dermal sensor in the grip, which I am coding to your palm print,” Adam explained. “Only you will be able to fire it. Less of a random killing machine; more of a personal statement.”

James grinned. “I like that. Nice touch.”

“Thank you,” Adam replied, his fingers suddenly flying over the keys.

A few moments later, James watched as three red lights lit just above the grip on the gun, then changed to green, then stopped glowing.

“Please pick up the Walther,” Adam said.

James reached for the gun, wrapped his fingers around the grip, and the green lights came on.

“Perfect.” Adam nodded, then handed James a black case. “For your gun. There’s also a standard radio transmitter.”

James opened the case, placed the gun in its spot, then pulled out the small radio. “This looks familiar.”

“I thought you would appreciate the simplicity.”

“I do. Thank you,” James replied, slipping the radio back into its spot. He closed the case, then turned to Adam who was holding out an envelope.

“Your ticket to Shanghai, as well as your documentation and passport.”

James slipped the envelope into his inner jacket pocket with a nod, then pulled out his phone. “I was told you were also going to show me a few things with this.”

Adam nodded, and held his hand out for it.

“And that’s everything,” Adam said thirty minutes later, handing James back his phone. Good luck out there in the field, and please return the equipment in one piece.”

“Thank you,” James paused. “Q.”

Adam smiled. “007.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Olivia stared out the window.

It had been a long day, and she was very glad to finally be home.

Her morning had started off with paying her respects to the five men and three women killed in the explosion.

She frowned. Their deaths had been meaningless. They should have been safe within Six’s walls. There were not field personnel; they were office workers. They were support staff, the backbone of MI6. Without them, the agents – regular field agents and Double Os – could not do their jobs half as well.

It upset her because she knew they had died, and so many others had been injured, all because of her. Because _he_ wanted to show her what he was capable of.

Still seeking my approval, Olivia realized angrily.

She took a deep breath. She would find him, or rather, James would find him, and then she would make him pay.

James.

The thought of him made her smile, but it faded as quickly as it appeared.

She’d given him back his license to kill; returned him to Double O status.

And she was sending James into the field.

Olivia swallowed hard against the knot of fear that threatened to choke her. 

Over the years, she’d sent many agents out on potentially dangerous assignments, but this was the first time she would be sending the man she loved.

She closed her eyes.

For the first time since becoming M, Olivia felt uncertain. She knew what she had to do, she just did not want to do it.

However, she would. 

Queen and country, and all that. 

She’d lost him once already. She did not want to lose him again.

Lost in her thoughts, she jumped when she felt James’ arms slip around her from behind.

“Sorry,” he said. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s all right.”

“You looked a million miles away.”

“I was,” she replied, leaning back against his chest and drawing his arms tighter around her.

“What were you thinking about?”

“You.”

James nuzzled her temple. “I’m going to be all right, Olivia.”

“I know.”

“But you’re still worried.”

“Yes.” She paused. “I know you’re the best man for the job, James. I know this with every fibre of my being, but it’s been so long since you’ve been in the field.”

“Doesn’t feel that long.”

“I know,” she said. “But so much has changed in the last four decades.”

“And a lot hasn’t. I’m still a damn good agent.”

A faint smile played at the corner of her mouth, and she opened her eyes, meeting his gaze in the reflection of the window. 

“If you don’t want me to go,” James said. “Then I won’t. Simple as that. You’re M. I will follow your orders, as I have sworn to do.”

“I know you will,” she replied quietly, then shook her head. “No. No. Sending you is the right thing to do. You are essentially a ghost. That can work to our advantage.”

James nodded. He’d been thinking the same thing. “Yes, it will. And you’re forgetting one very important thing.”

“What’s that?”

“You and I make one hell of a team. We always have.”

That brought a full, proper smiled to her lips. “Yes, we do,” she agreed, and patted his arm.

James chuckled, and held her a little closer.

They fell quiet. Both lost in their own thoughts.

Olivia was still troubled. Still worried.

And James knew this. He could feel it as he held her.

“What do you need, my love?” James asked softly.

Holding his gaze in the glass, Olivia grasped his hands, and drew them up to cover her breasts. “You,” she whispered. “I just need you.”

He reflexively squeezed the large mounds, rubbing his palms over her nipples, pleased when he felt them pebble beneath his touch.

“Is this truly what you need?”

“Yes,” Olivia said, her voice still no louder than a whisper. “I need to be close to you. I need to feel you inside me, all around me. I need _you_.”

James lowered his head, and kissed the sensitive spot behind her ear, as his fingers moved to the buttons on her blouse. Without speaking, but still keeping his eyes locked with hers in the glass, he slowly unbuttoned her blouse.

Once all the buttons were undone, James reached up between them, beneath her blouse, and unhooked her bra. He carefully removed it, leaving her blouse on, allowing the material to frame her breasts.

Olivia moaned when the cool air radiating from the window kissed her nipples, and caused them to draw into even tighter buds. She arched into his touch when he grabbed hold of her breasts again, gasping when he pinched the hard tips.

His right hand trailed down her stomach, and he cupped her sex through her skirt. He rubbed slowly, the material of her skirt and knickers creating a wonderful friction.

“Undo your skirt,” he ordered, his lips against her ear, as he continued fondling her. “But don’t remove it.”

Olivia reached between them, and released the snap, then lowered the zipper.

“Now…” James nipped her shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her middle. “Grab your tits.”

Olivia raised her hands, and grasped her breasts. Her fingers played with her nipples, twisting and tugging on the turgid tips. She smiled when she felt the hard ridge of his cock against her back.

“When I get home from this assignment,” he said, his hands sliding down to her hips. “I want to watch you touch yourself. Watch you get yourself off. Will you do that for me?”

“Yes,” she breathed.

James smiled, and gave her shoulder a gentle bite before stepping back and turning her around. He pressed her back against the window, capturing her mouth in a passionate kiss.

Breaking the kiss off a few moments later, James went down on his knees, and grasped her hips. “Look at me.”

Olivia lowered her eyes to his. 

As she held his gaze, James slowly dragged her skirt down. He helped her step out of it, then reached up to tug off her knickers. She couldn’t help the small smile when he left her suspenders and stockings on.

He sat back, and drank in the sight of her.

Her blouse open, framing her magnificent breasts; sheer black stockings encasing her lovely, long legs.

James licked his lips.

Fuck, she’s gorgeous, he thought.

And all mine.

He rose back up, and shuffled closer, moaning softly when the scent of her arousal reached him.

“I’m a lucky man,” he murmured, as he leaned in, and pressed a kiss to the curls covering her sex. He kissed her right thigh, then her left, then grasped her behind the knee, and hooked her leg over his shoulder.

His right arm curled around her thigh, and parted the lips of her pussy with his fingers. He exhaled a warm breath over her, smiling when she gasped, then leaned in once again to flick his tongue against her clit.

“James…” Olivia’s reached down, laying her hand on his head. “Don’t tease.”

He gave her clit a firm lick, then another and another, then teased her with several light flicks of his tongue before he licked the full length of her pussy. He closed his lips around her clit, and sucked, swirling his tongue around the sensitive nub as he coaxed it free from its fleshy hood.

“Christ!” she swore, her head falling back against the window, her fingers curling in his hair as she came.

James thrust his tongue inside her, nuzzling her clit with his nose, as he enjoyed the taste of her washing over his taste buds. She was moist, he realized, but not yet wet, and he vowed to make her wet, really wet, before he took her to bed and slid his cock inside her.

With that thought in mind, James began to circle her clit with his thumb, firmly stroking the bundle of nerves in time with each thrust of his tongue.

“Oh god!” Olivia groaned, as another orgasm rippled through her body, followed by another sharp spike of pleasure several moments later. “James…”

He moved his mouth back to her clit, licking it firmly before sucking hard as he pushed two fingers inside her.

She whimpered, then cried out, swearing harshly as he made her come yet again; her orgasm crashing over her like a violent wave.

Her soft cries, her gasps and moans made his cock throb with need. He loved it when she was vocal during sex, and with every lick of his tongue, every thrust of his fingers, she grew louder.

Olivia gripped his hair tighter, and ground her pussy against his mouth, as her orgasm continued to pulse through her.

James grinned internally. 

He loved it when she did that as well.

He curled his fingers inside her, and felt her pull on his hair. He glanced up her body and saw her shaking her head.

“James… ohgod, please… I…”

Her body shuddered, and James groaned as he felt a rush of wetness around his fingers, her inner walls clenching in wild spasms around the long digits.

“No… no more, James,” she panted, her body still quaking against the window.

James eased his fingers out of her, only to plunge his tongue into her depths once more, lapping at her cream; stopping only when she tugged on his hair. He grinned, then quickly got to his feet. He pressed his body against hers, and kissed her hard.

Olivia moaned as she tasted herself on his lips and tongue, and clutched him closer.

When the kiss tapered off, James stepped back, bringing her with, then scooped her up into his arms, and carried her out of the living room.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Entering their bedroom, James carried Olivia over to the bed, and set her down so she was sitting on the edge of the mattress.

He leaned down, brushing a kiss over her lips as he slipped her blouse off, then knelt in front of her. He released the clip on her left suspender, then rolled her stocking down and off her foot. The right stocking followed.

He got to his feet, but before he could say or do anything more, Olivia reached out and began undoing his belt. As she pulled the leather free of his trousers, he started to unbutton his shirt.

“Don’t,” she said softly.

James lowered his arms to his sides.

He understood her need to do this.

Olivia stood as she took over unbuttoning his shirt. She slipped her hands inside to stroke his warm, firm chest, then leaned in to place a kiss on his chest over his heart. Straightening up, she ran her hands up to his shoulders, and pushed his shirt off, then drew it down his arms – grateful he’d removed his cufflinks earlier in the evening.

Draping the shirt over her arms, she held it against his chest, and met his eyes. “Take off your trousers, but leave your pants on, then go sit in the chair.”

Her voice was soft, but James recognized it for the order it was.

Still, he gave her a curious look. “I thought you wanted to make love.”

“I do,” she replied. “First, there is something else I want to do. Remove the rest of your clothes, then go sit in the chair.”

At his nod, she turned, then walked across the room. James smiled at the sight of her – naked except for the suspender belt, and watched her until she disappeared into the bathroom.

He quickly removed his socks and trousers. He picked up her stockings and blouse, rolling them up in his trousers, and placed them on the floor next to the bathroom door, then moved over to the chair in the far corner of the room, and sat down to wait.

Ten minutes later, he heard the bathroom door open, and turned to see Olivia walking slowly towards him, carrying a large bowl of water. 

“Need a hand?” 

Olivia shook her head.

She had pulled on his shirt while in the bathroom, and rolled up the sleeves, but hadn’t bothered with the buttons, he noticed, leaving it hanging open; teasing him with glimpses of her body as she crossed the room.

She had a towel draped over her left shoulder, and a hand towel hanging on her arm. And as she drew closer, James realized she was also carrying his small toiletry bag.

He arched an inquisitive brow when she reached him, and placed the bowl on the small end table next to the chair, then laid the toiletry bag beside it.

“You need a shave,” Olivia answered his unasked question, as she placed the hand towel on the table. The larger towel, she placed on the arm of the chair.

James reached up, and ran his hands over his cheeks and chin. “Yes, I am a little scruffy,” he admitted. “I would have taken care of it in the morning,” he told her, watching as she pulled his straight razor and the tin of shaving soap from the toiletry bag, placing them on the hand towel.

“I know,” Olivia said, opening the tin of soap. “But I need… I would like to do this for you.”

He reached out to stroke her thigh. “I’d like that. Thank you.”

She smiled as she reached into the bowl of water, and removed his shaving brush. She shook the excess water from it, then picked up the soap tin. She worked up a lather, then turned to face him.

It was then he noticed that she’d removed the suspender belt, leaving her completely naked under his shirt. He drank her in with his eyes.

“Eyes up, James.”

James lifted his head, and grinned at her.

Olivia gave him a fond look, then began to spread the frothy soap over his cheeks. “Tilt your head back,” she whispered.

He did as she asked, and she smoothed the lather over his chin and upper throat.

She turned back to the table, dropping the brush back into the water, then reached for the lid to the tin. Once the lid was secured, she tossed the tin into the toiletry bag, then picked up the razor.

She stepped between his legs, then lowered herself down onto her knees.

She held the razor up. “Ready?”

James nodded.

Olivia smiled. She carefully drew the razor down his right cheek, scraping away the stubble and foam. She swished the razor in the water, dabbed it on the towel, then stroked it down his cheek again.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve done this,” she murmured. “Not since…”

“I remember,” James replied. “As I recall, halfway through we ended up making love on the bathroom floor.”

Olivia held the razor away as she chuckled. “We won’t be repeating that tonight.”

“No, I can wait until you’re finished to make love to you.” He slipped his right hand inside his shirt to cup her breast, and dragged his thumb over her nipple. “Then again…”

“James…” she moaned softly. “Behave.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, and removed his hand.

With slow, sure strokes Olivia concentrated on cleaning the hair from James’ face.

A short time later, she placed the razor on the table, then grabbed the towel, and wiped the remaining trails of shaving soap from his face.

“There,” she said, and leaned in close to kiss him. “Much better.”

“Much,” James agreed, running his hand over his face.

She smiled as she climbed to her feet, then began gathering up the supplies.

James stood. “I’ll get it,” he told her, and picked up the bowl.

Olivia grabbed the towels, and the shaving supplies, then followed him into the bathroom.

James placed the bowl on the vanity. He fished out his shaving brush, rinsed it off, then set it aside to dry before dumping the bowl into the sink. As he cleaned the bowl, Olivia placed his toiletry bag on the counter, then walked over to the hamper, and placed the towels inside.

When she turned back, James was bent over the sink, splashing water on his face, rinsing the soap residue. She stepped over to him, grabbing the towel hanging next to the sink.

James turned the water off, then reached out blindly for the towel, frowning when he encountered an empty towel bar. Raising his head, the water dripping off his chin, he saw Olivia standing beside him – holding the towel.

He straightened up, and turned to face her.

Olivia dried his face and neck, then followed the few trails of water down his chest. “There,” she said, softly, then stepped closer, and wrapped her arms around him, laying her head on his chest.

James held her close. He was still hard, his cock prodding her belly. Olivia shaving him had always been a turn on, and tonight was no exception.

“Make love to me now,” she breathed across his chest.

“All night long,” he promised.


	11. Chapter 11

“We had to remove his left kidney. There was just too much damage.”

“But he’s going to be all right?” Olivia asked.

Doctor Jacobs nodded. “Yes. I expect him to make a full recovery.”

“I am glad to hear that. What are his other injuries?”

“Broken leg, broken arm; both on the left side. Three broken ribs, several lacerations, and some minor skull fractures.” Jacobs looked up from her clipboard. “All things considered, he was really quite lucky. It could have been much worse.” 

Olivia nodded. 

Yes. It could have been much worse.

“May I see him?”

“Of course. But not too long. He needs his rest.”

“I understand. Thank you, Doctor Jacobs.”

“You’re welcome, ma’am.” Jacobs smiled, then pushed the door open.

Olivia returned the younger woman’s smile, as she walked past her into the room, then stopped.

“Bloody hell,” she muttered at the sight of her Quartermaster lying in the hospital bed.

“Would you believe me if I said I look worse than I feel?”

“No,” Olivia replied, as she crossed the room to stand beside the bed.

“Hello, M.” He smiled at her through the bruises on his face.

“Hello, Q,” Olivia said, returning his smile in spite of herself. It was good to see him. “How are you feeling? The truth.”

“As well as can be expected given that I was almost blown to pieces.”

Olivia frowned.

“There is some pain, but they’ve got me on Morphine, so it’s tolerable,” Geoffrey told her truthfully.

“Good,” she said, then asked, “Which begs the question, what on earth were you doing on that level to begin with? You rarely leave Q branch.”

“I was on my way to see you,” Geoffrey told her, then his brow furrowed. “I just can’t remember why at this moment. The doctor said that’s normal under the circumstances, and it should come back to me.”

Olivia nodded. Jacobs had mentioned that to her as well.

“But enough about me, how are you? I heard the explosion was centred in your office.”

“Honestly, I’m still a little shaken,” she admitted.

“I’m sure,” Geoffrey said, then glanced around. “Where’s James?”

Olivia hesitated, glancing around the hospital room. They were in one of the local hospitals, not Six. And with everything that had happened the last few weeks…

“It’s clean,” Geoffrey interrupted her thoughts, sensing the direction of them. He held up a device that looked like an old transistor radio. “I had one of my staff bring it.”

Olivia could not help smiling. It’s why he’d been Six’s Quartermaster for so long.

“So, where’s James?”

“On a plane to Shanghai?”

“Well, that explains the look I see in your eyes.”

“What look?”

“The worry and sadness.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“To most other people, probably not. But then, none of them have known you as long as I have.”

“True.”

“And I know it was not an easy decision on your part to send him.”

Olivia shook her head. “No. It wasn’t. But he’s the only one I trust to do the job.”

“You know who’s behind this. The hacking into Six’s system, stealing the hard drive, the attack on MI6.”

It was a statement, not a question, and Olivia nodded.

“Does James know?” Geoffrey asked, then waved away the question. “Forget I asked. Of course, he does.”

Olivia favoured him with a small smile.

“He’s not been in the field in forty years.”

“I am all too aware of that fact.”

“And yet you sent him.”

“Yes. There was no other option. We need to find this person, and bring him in, and I know James can do it.”

Geoffrey regarded her for several moments, then simply nodded. “So, are you going to tell me what is really bothering you?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You’re not worried about James being on assignment. Not really. So, what is it that has you so concerned?”

Olivia arched an eyebrow.

“Don’t give me that look,” Geoffrey admonished her. “I’ve known you for over forty years, my dear.”

Olivia sighed, then sat on the edge of the hospital bed. “You’re right. I’m not worried about James being on the assignment. I know he can handle that. But there’s something wrong; something he’s not telling me. The other night I woke up to find James in the bathroom, doubled over in pain. He tried to pass it off as an upset stomach due to the hamburger he’d had, but I know it was more than that,” she told him.

“What has Aiken said?”

“I haven’t had a chance to ask him,” she admitted. “However, he’s cleared James for duty.”

“And Aiken would not have done so if he felt James was in any way not fit.”

“I know.”

“But you still think there’s something?”

“Yes.”

“Trust your instincts. They’ve never failed you,” Geoffrey said. “Talk to James when he gets back.”

Olivia nodded. 

There was a knock on the door, and seconds later it opened, and Doctor Jacobs stepped into the room.

“I know, Doctor. I’ll be leaving momentarily,” Olivia told her before the doctor could say anything.

“Thank you.” Jacobs smiled, then left.

Olivia turned back to Geoffrey. “She’s right. I should go and let you rest.”

“Before you go,” Geoffrey began. “How’s Adam doing?”

“He seems to be doing well,” Olivia answered. “He’s a little young, but he has potential.”

“Good.” Geoffrey nodded. “Then I am verbally tendering my resignation.”

Olivia shook her head.

“It’s time. It’s past time, truth be told,” Geoffrey told her. “Technology has changed so much, and is continuing to change. Our agents need the equipment and technology of the sort Adam would supply them with.”

Olivia sighed, nodding sadly. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

“Yes,” Geoffrey said, then gave her a wry smile. “After all,” he gestured to his broken arm and leg, “I’m going to be a little busy for the foreseeable future.”

Olivia chuckled sadly.

“It will be fine.” Geoffrey reached out, and patted her knee. “What about you? Have you given any thought to retiring?”

“I have thought about it, yes.”

“Good. It would give you more time with James.”

“James pointed that out to me as well,” she said.

Geoffrey gave her a thoughtful look. “The top brass are forcing you out, aren’t they?” 

Olivia nodded. “The country has only the highest respect for me and my many years of service,” she quoted Mallory’s words. “I am being asked to voluntarily retire.”

“I’m sorry, Olivia.”

She shook her head. “It’s all right. Quite honestly, I am looking forward to spending more time with James.”

“You both deserve that,” Geoffrey patted her hand again, then turned away as he yawned. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” She stood, tugging her blazer down. “I should be going anyway. Lots to do.”

He nodded in understanding. “Thank you for the visit.”

“Get some rest.”

“Yes, M.”

Olivia gave him a fond look.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Olivia glanced at her watch as Richards navigated city traffic.

10:30am

James was not even halfway through his flight.

She sighed.

She missed him.

She shook her head, laughing silently at herself. 

She had lived the last forty-one years without him, believing him dead; missing him so much that she’d physically ached with the pain of having lost him. And not a day had gone by where she hadn’t thought of him, wondered what their life together would have been like if he hadn’t died in that explosion.

And yet now, after only a week of being reunited, it hurt even more than all those years without him.

It made no sense.

And yet, it did.

She had him back. They had a second chance.

_“I’m not ready to lose you again,” Olivia told him, curling her fingers in his shirt._

_They were standing in the foyer, waiting on the taxi that would bring James to the airport._

_“So you make damn sure you come back to me.” She poked him in the chest. “I will never forgive you if you don’t.”_

_“I will.”_

_“Promise me.”_

_“I promise you, Olivia. I will come back to you,” James vowed, then grasped her left hand in his. He fingered the ring on her third finger; the one he’d placed there forty-one years earlier. “And when I return, we’re going to have a serious talk about our future.”_

_Olivia’s gaze softened, and she nodded. “Yes, we will.”_

_“I love you,” James whispered, then ducked his head, kissing her deeply._

The jolt of the car as it went over the speed bumps pulled her from her memory of earlier that morning. She blinked, and realized they’d arrived at headquarters.

Forcing thoughts of James aside, Olivia focussed on the day ahead, and everything she had to accomplish.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

James stared out the window at the passing clouds.

He sighed.

He was only three hours into his twelve hour flight, and he was restless. 

And perhaps a little anxious, he thought with a small smile, recognizing the anticipation of a new assignment.

This wasn’t an ordinary assignment, however.

It was personal.

This Rodriguez person was after the woman James loved. The woman he’d, unknowingly, sacrificed forty years of his life for. He’d be damned if some nutjob was going to take Olivia, and the promise of a life with her away from him now.

Olivia.

Just the thought of her made him smile.

He would do this for her. For them.

_“Bring him in if you can. Kill him if you have to.”_

She’d given him the order as he’d walked out the front door that morning.

He _would_ find Rodriguez, and he _would_ bring him in alive for Olivia to deal with.

Once the whole mess was over, James hoped he and Olivia could begin their lives together. And James would spend the rest of his days making up for the four decades they’d lost. To start their life together, James wanted to marry Olivia. And if the look in her eyes before he’d left the flat was any indication, she was quite amenable to the idea.

He covered his mouth with his hand to stifle his sudden yawn.

He was tired; not having got much sleep last night.

A grin spread across his face as he remembered why his night had been so sleepless.

After Olivia had shaved him, he’d taken her to bed, and they’d made love all night long.

James closed his eyes, and let the memory of those hours wash over him.

At one point, she’d pinned him to the mattress, straddling him, then kissed him hungrily.

_“Fuck!” James swore, as Olivia slowly sank down on him, her hot, wet cunt enveloping his cock. He ran his hands up her thighs to grip tightly to her hips._

_She smiled down at him, as she leisurely circled her hips, and teased him with acute clenches of her inner muscles._

_James lifted his hands up to cup her breasts, and was surprised when she grasped his wrists, and guided his hands back to her hips with a shake of her head._

_He grinned and nodded._

_She was in charge._

The plane jumped as it encountered some turbulence, and James opened his eyes, grateful to the small jolt, as his body was starting to react to the memory. He reached down to discreetly adjust himself.

He turned back to the window.

Christ, she’d been glorious, James thought to himself, feeling his cock pulse once again as the image filled his mind.

She’d damn near ridden him into the mattress; taking her pleasure, coming several times, before finally allowing him his release. He’d come with a loud shout of her name, his hips bucking up into hers as he’d shot his seed deep inside her.

_Olivia collapsed onto his chest, burying her face against his throat as both their bodies continued to quake with their orgasms._

_“Oh god… oh god…” she panted, her breath coming out in hot bursts over his skin._

_“That was…” James began as he sought to catch his breath, “…incredible.”_

_She hummed, nodding her agreement._

_James stroked her back, her skin warm and damp, then groaned when he she clenched around him, then stretched her legs out on either side of his._

_“Please promise me we can do that again when I get back.”_

_Olivia snorted. “As many times as you wish.”_

_James grinned, then fished for the blankets, and drew them up over their cooling bodies. He wrapped his arms around her, and held her close. “I love you, Olivia,” he said, rubbing his cheek against the top of her head._

_“I love you, too,” she replied in a sleepy voice._

James closed his eyes.

They’d fallen asleep that way; Olivia draped over him, his cock still inside her.

She’d woken him a couple hours later to make love once again. He’d made love to her as slowly, and as tenderly as he knew how; Olivia crying softly in the aftermath, as she’d clung to him.

He swallowed.

Yes, he nodded as he opened his eyes. He would successfully complete this mission.

For them.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Good morning, M,” Tanner greeted her with a smile when she entered her office.

“Good morning, Tanner,” she replied.

“How was your visit with Q?”

“It was nice,” Olivia told him, as she made her way to her desk. “All things considered, he looks pretty good.”

“Did the doctor say how much longer he’d be in hospital?

“No,” she said as she sat down. “Bill, I would like to ask you a question.”

He turned in his chair to face her.

“What is your opinion of Adam? Do you think he has what it takes to be head of Q Branch?”

To his credit, Tanner did not respond immediately, and considered her question. “He’s young,” he began after a minute, “but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. He’s a little arrogant, but then so is Q at times. However, with all that Q division does, and is capable of, I believe they are entitled to be a little arrogant.”

Olivia nodded. Geoffrey could most certainly be arrogant, especially when it came to his work.

“I think, given a little more time, that yes, Adam would make a good head of Q branch. I know Q himself has great faith in him, and has been mentoring him the last year or so,” Tanner said. “May I ask why you’re asking?”

“Q tendered his resignation this morning. Informally, but he made his intention to retire clear.”

Tanner’s eyes widened in surprise. “Q’s retiring?”

Olivia nodded. “It caught me by surprise also, but under the circumstances, I don’t blame him.”

“I can’t say I do either,” he said. “So, will you make Adam head of the department?”

“I’m not sure. I need to think it over. I’d also like to see if there is anyone else who may be qualified.”

“I can put together a list of possibilities if you like.”

Olivia nodded. “That would be appreciated.”

His phone rang, and he turned to answer it. “Tanner.” He paused. “All right. Escort them here. Thank you.” He placed the handset back on the base, then turned back to Olivia. “Ma’am, your daughter and granddaughter are on their way.”

“On their… has something happened?” she asked, a hint of alarm in her voice.

“No, ma’am. Your daughter called while you were visiting Q, and asked to see you. She said your granddaughter was upset because you didn’t --”

“Call them last night,” she finished for him. “I had other things on my mind, and I was going to do so this morning, but I was distracted.”

Tanner nodded with understanding. Bond had left for Shanghai this morning.

Olivia pushed her chair back, and stood when she saw Amanda and Lacey approaching, escorted by two armed agents. The agents remained outside the office as Amanda and Lacey entered.

Lacey hurried across the room to embrace her grandmother.

“She was worried when you did not call last night, or this morning,” Amanda told her, repeating what Tanner had just told her.

Olivia wrapped her arms around the young woman, and stroked her hair. “I’m sorry, Lacey,” she apologized. 

Lacey raised her head from her grandmother’s shoulder. “Why didn’t you call?”

“I was --”

“Where’s Grandpa?” Lacey cut her off, looking around the office.

Olivia eased out of Lacey’s embrace, but kept hold of her hand. “Your grandfather’s on an assignment.”

“What!?” Amanda looked at her mother in surprise.

“Grandy, he’s only been unfrozen for just over a week. How could you send him away so soon?”

“I am aware of that, Lacey, but it was necessary.”

“Does it have anything to do with the explosion at the old building, and why we’re being kept in a safe house?” Amanda asked.

“Yes. And I’m afraid that’s all I can tell you,” Olivia replied. “Technically, you should not even be here.” She looked pointedly at Tanner. “It’s too dangerous.”

“I had them brought in a windowless vehicle, ma’am,” Tanner told her.

“And that wasn’t just a little freaky,” Lacey remarked sarcastically.

“Lacey!” Olivia admonished her. “That was for your protection and ours.”

Lacey sighed. “I know. It’s just…”

“You’re scared,” Olivia said.

“Yeah. Sorry. Yes,” she replied, then looked at Tanner. “I’m sorry, Mr. Tanner.”

Tanner nodded, and gave her a quick smile.

“How much longer will we need to stay in the safe house, mum?” Amanda asked.

“I honestly don’t know, Amanda,” Olivia answered her. “But I hope for not much longer.”

Amanda sighed.

“I know, my dear,” Olivia said. 

“It’s okay, mum. I know this is to keep us safe.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Ma’am,” Tanner called out. “Your meeting is due to start in ten minutes.”

“Thank you, Tanner,” she replied, then looked at her daughter and granddaughter. “I hate to cut this short.”

Amanda waved away her mother’s apology. “It’s all right, mum. We understand.”

Olivia favoured her daughter with a grateful smile. “The agents will escort you both back to the safe house. If you need anything, please let Tanner know.”

Lacey hugged her grandmother again, then moved away so Amanda could hug Olivia as well.

“I love you, mum,” Amanda whispered as she embraced her mother. “Be safe.”

“I love you, too,” Olivia whispered back.

She knew she could not promise the rest.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

James threw his bag on the bed, then glanced around the hotel room.

It was not a large room, but it would do.

He walked over to the window, pushed the curtain aside, and peered out the window. It was late, or early, depending on your point of view, and while the sky was dark, the city itself was lit up.

Much brighter than I remember, James thought.

He let the curtain fall back in place, then stepped away from the window.

He was restless again.

While he had managed to sleep a few hours on the twelve hour flight, he was feeling both it and the eight hour time difference. His body was telling him it was one time, but his watch was telling him it was another.

He needed to do something, to move and use up some of this restless energy.

But what?

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

He glided through the warm water with sure, strong strokes, completing several lengths before hauling himself up onto the side of the pool.

Yes, James thought, as he tried to catch his breath, this is just what I needed.

He felt much more relaxed now.

He’d have to remember to ask Olivia about a pool when he returned to London, and all this mess was finished with.

The corners of his mouth turned up, and a warmth ran through his body as an image of Olivia in a swimsuit came to mind.

James shook his head. 

No. He couldn’t think about her right now. He needed to focus on the assignment, and finding Rodriguez.

With that thought, he got to his feet, and walked over to the lounge chair where he’d left his towel. He grabbed it, and began to dry off as he walked out of the pool room.

In limbo until Tanner alerted him as to which flight this Patrice character was coming in on, James decided he could use a drink. It would help to relax him a little more, and then he would see if he could catch some sleep.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

James took a sip of his Scotch, ignoring the fact that it was early morning, and glanced around the hotel bar. 

It was relatively empty; only a few couples tucked away in the corners, so he allowed himself to relax his guard some.

He looked down at the phone on the bar, and shook his head. He was still amazed at how far technology had advanced in the last forty years. He picked up the phone, and turned it over and over in his hand. It reminded him of those hand held communicators on that television show from the sixties.

He placed it back on the bar, then reached for his glass. He’d just touched it to his lips when the phone buzzed. Lowering the glass, he grabbed the phone again, and pushed the button young Q had told him would display the message.

EWA FLIGHT 226  
9PM

“Thanks, Bill,” James murmured, then slipped the phone into his pocket, and stood.

He reached for his glass, and downed the rest of the Scotch in one gulp, then placed the glass on the bar and left.

He had time to catch a nap.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

James stood among the throng of people waiting at the arrivals gate.

Ignoring the crowd, he kept his attention focussed on the gate.

Moments later, Patrice appeared, moving with the other passengers through the exit. James watched him pause to look down at his watch, then glance around before walking away.

James waited just a second, then followed him.

He trailed the taller man through the airport to the front entrance, then watched as Patrice hailed a taxi. Making note of the taxi’s number, as well as the license plate, James glanced around. Spotting an unattended vehicle idling just a few feet away, he casually walked over to, and climbed inside.

He pulled away from the curb, and followed the taxi from a safe distance.

Half an hour later, the cab stopped in front of a tall building. Patrice got out, and the taxi drove away. James pulled up into the same spot a few moments later, just in time to see Patrice walking toward the entrance of the skyscraper, carrying a large briefcase.

James parked the car and killed the engine.

He watched the security guard sitting behind the front desk stand as Patrice entered the building, and wasn’t surprised when he shot the guard. Patrice put the briefcase down, then walked over to the dead guard, and dragged him behind the desk.

James frowned. He did not approve of killing innocent people.

Seeing Patrice emerge from behind the desk, and grab his briefcase, James got out of the car, and hurried across the pavement to the door. As he pushed his way through the revolving door, he pulled his gun from his pocket. 

He walked past the security desk, continuing in the direction he’d seen Patrice go, and spotted an escalator. Approaching it, he quickly walked up the moving stairway. When he reached the top, he discovered another dead security guard. James shook his head as he passed the body, then slowed as he rounded the corner and saw Patrice waiting for the lift.

James looked up and could see the lift car approaching. The lifts were constructed in an open concept, and as he glanced around the lobby, he spotted the pillars which housed the lift buttons, and an idea formed. He flipped the safety into place on his gun, then slipped it into his pocket just as the lift arrived. The doors opened, and Patrice stepped inside.

The doors closed, then just as the lift began to move, James made his move.

He ran towards the lift. 

Leaping up onto the pillar, he used it as a step to propel himself higher, and jumped toward the rising lift. He grabbed onto the bar at the bottom, and held on tight as it rose.

Christ, I hope he’s not chosen the top floor, James thought.

As the lift continued to climb, James could feel the strain in his arms, and prayed his body would not choose now to have one of those painful spasms he’d been experiencing.

He adjusted his grip when his right hand began to slip, and gripped tighter to the bar.

A few moments later, the lift came to a stop.

“Finally,” James muttered under his breath. 

He remained hanging on the lift until he saw a sliver of light appear seconds later as the doors opened. Seeing the shadow of footsteps as Patrice exited the car, James carefully manoeuvred himself onto the beams between the two elevator shafts, then climbed up beside the lift.

He stepped over to the empty shaft on his left, then glanced up and down to make certain the other car was not coming. Satisfied when he saw the lift below, he forced the doors open, then stepped through them onto the darkened floor.

James reached into his pocket for his gun. Thumbing the safety off, he held the Walther at the ready, and began to make his way down the corridor.

He pushed open the door at the end of the hall, and moved through them into what could only be described as unfinished office space. It was dark, the only illumination coming from flashing neon signs of the neighbouring buildings. 

It was a little disconcerting, having an almost strobe-light effect, which made it difficult for him to see as he made his way along.

Moments later, he spotted his target crouched in front the large outer windows, facing one of the nearby buildings.

He paused outside what he realized was an interior office, its walls made entirely of glass, and watched as Patrice removed items from the now open case, and laid them on the floor beside him. It took James a few seconds to realize that Patrice was removing the parts to what was a high power sniper rifle.

He held his gun a little tighter, and resumed moving forward, taking slow, careful steps, making sure to keep his eyes on the other man, watching as he pieced the weapon together.

It was obvious to James that this man was experienced, and had the rifle assembled in moments. He placed it on the floor, then picked up another object, and moved over to the window.

Circular glass cutter, James realized as Patrice placed it on the window, then activated it.

James glanced toward the building across from the window Patrice was cutting, and nodded to himself when he noticed people moving in the suite of rooms. That’s where the hit was going to happen.

Patrice removed the glass cutter, placed it back in the nearby briefcase, then picked up the rifle, and got into position.

James crept closer.

From his position behind Patrice, James could see more clearly into the other building. He saw a tall, statuesque woman walk into the back room of the suite, followed by an older gentleman. She directed him to sit in the chair positioned in front of what looked to James like a covered easel.

James tensed.

A small part of him felt he should stop whatever was going to happen, but he knew he couldn’t.

The cover was lifted from the easel.

Patrice pulled the trigger. 

The window across the way shattered as the man in the chair twitched, then fell out of it.

James heard the cartridge being ejected from the rifle, as the next one slid into place.

Patrice suddenly spun around, rising as he did, and fired the rifle.

James darted out of the way, the bullet smashing the glass wall behind him. He feinted to the right, then charged Patrice, jumping him from the side.

As they struggled, the butt of the rifle hit the large window, splintering the glass.

They fought tooth and nail, kicks and punches flying back and forth, as both men struggled for possession of the rifle.

The rifle smashed into the window again, this time shattering it, and showering them both with glass.

More punches. Harder kicks.

The two men continued to fight for dominance, until James finally managed to gain the upper hand. Grabbing hold of Patrice, he flipped the taller man over his shoulder, not realizing how close they were to the edge where the window had been.

Patrice went over the edge.

James caught him just in time.

He crouched on the edge, holding tight to Patrice’s hand with both of his.

“Who’s got the list?” James yelled at him.

Patrice’s hand slipped in James’ grip, causing James to fall onto his chest as he fought to hang on to the other man’s hand.

“Tell me! Who are you working for?”

James could feel his grip growing slack, and fought to hold tight to Patrice’s hand.

The two men stared at each other.

James lost his hold on Patrice’s hand.

Angry, James smacked the side of the building as he watched the other man plummet to his death. He slapped he wall again, then pushed himself away from the edge.

It was then he noticed the woman from the other building standing in the open window, the curtains billowing around her, staring at him.

The lights from the various neon signs dimmed, blanketing him in darkness, and he used the moment to move deeper into the shadows.

The lights came back up, and James watched the woman glance about, looking for him, then she turned on her heel, and walked out of the room.

When James was certain she was gone, he walked over to where Patrice had left his gun case, and crouched down to go through it.

Spare gun parts, ammunition, the glass cutter, he ran his fingers over each item. Peering closer, he noticed a piece of loose fabric, and pushed it aside to reveal a coin. Lifting it from the case, he realized it was casino chip. Turning it over in his fingers, he saw the name of the casino on the edge.

James stood, pocketed the chip, then made his way off the floor, and out of the building.

He needed to find his way to Macau.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Balancing her laptop on her knees as she sat on the sofa, Olivia stared at the screen. On it were two images of her, both taken from the messages, or rather, warnings sent.

Images from when she was Station Head in Hong Kong.

Yet another clue pointing to it being Rodriguez behind the attack on Six, and being responsible for stealing the hard drive.

Suddenly, the screen seemed to twitch, the colours pixelating, and the image changed into a slot machine.

Secret Agent. How original, Olivia thought, reading the name, then noting the symbols on the reels. The Royal Crest, a gun, two targets, and… “My title,” she said softly. That the ‘M’ was situated between the two targets was not lost on her.

The reels began to spin.

They stopped seconds later, revealing a line of skulls, and a prompt to click.

Knowing she really shouldn’t, Olivia guided her cursor over it anyway.

She hesitated only a second, then clicked.

A You Tube web page opened up, and a video entitled MI6 Agents began to play.

“Christ!” Olivia swore, as pictures of five of her undercover agents were shown, giving away their cover name as well as their real names.

He’d managed to decrypt the list.

She grabbed her mobile.

“Tanner,” she said when the call connected, “he’s posted the first five names. Their covers are blown. Get them out now.”

_“Yes, ma’am,”_ Tanner replied, then disconnected the call.

Olivia dropped the phone on the cushion beside her, and stared at the computer. 

The video was still playing, only now it was showing the agents’ photos and names in rapid succession, before finally going to a black screen; promising to post five more names each week.

When the video ended, her screen went dark, and another message, for her eyes only it seemed, appeared:

THINK ON YOUR SINS

Her mobile rang, startling her. 

She grabbed it and answered it without looking, expecting it to be Tanner.

_“Good evening, Olivia.”_

In spite of herself, a smile came to her face at the sound of James’ voice. “James…” she breathed. It was good to hear his voice. Outside of a text saying he’d arrived in Shanghai, she’d not heard from him.

_“Miss me?”_

She chuckled softly. “Yes,” she answered honestly. She did miss him. Terribly.

_“I miss you, too,”_ he said. _“I wanted to call, to check in, and tell you that I’m now in Macau.”_

“Why Macau?”

James quickly explained what had happened with Patrice, and about the casino chip he’d found. _“I believe the chip is how he was going to be paid,”_ James told her. _“I’m planning to go there later, after I get some sleep, and see what I can find out.”_

“All right. Oh,” she began, “there’s something you should know. He’s posted five names of our undercover operatives.”

_“Shit!”_

“That was my reaction as well,” she said. “And he’s promised to release five more next week, and five more the week after.”

_“Son of a bitch.”_

“James --”

_“I know,”_ he cut her off. _“I will find him, Olivia.”_

“I know you will.” Her voice was soft. “Just please, be careful. No unnecessary risks.”

_“I promise,”_ James replied. _“It’s late there; I should let you go.”_

“I suppose so.”

James chuckled quietly. _“I’ll be home soon,”_ he promised. _“I love you.”_

“I love you, too,” Olivia whispered.


	12. Chapter 12

James woke up with a groan to find his hand fisting his cock.

He was on the verge of coming, arousal and pleasure humming through his body, as images of his dream continued to tease him.

“Olivia,” he moaned her name, and stroked his cock in earnest.

He needed to come.

He closed his eyes, picturing her as she’d been the other night: gloriously wanton as she rode him hard, fucking him into the mattress.

“Fuck!” he swore harshly, as he came; long pearly ropes spurting up over his stomach and chest. He continued to stroke himself until he’d wrung every last drop from his body, then sagged back into the mattress, breathing heavily.

Seventy-three years old and still having wet dreams, James thought with a grin, then chuckled.

He reached for some tissues, then cleaned himself up before sitting up, and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Tossing the tissues into the bin, James looked at the time on the clock, and was surprised to discover he’d managed to sleep for just over seven hours.

Glancing down at his chest, he decided a shower was in order. Reaching under the pillow for his gun, he got to his feet, then padded naked into the bathroom.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Securing the towel around his waist, James stepped over to the vanity, and looked at himself in the mirror. He leaned in close, noticing the slight greying at his temples.

He frowned, those grey hairs hadn’t been there a few days ago. He shrugged, then reached for the soap tin.

James removed his shaving brush from the glass of water he’d put it in before getting into the shower, then began working up a thick lather.

He was just about to begin putting the soap on his face, when there was a knock on the suite door. He put the tin and brush down, then grabbed his gun. He walked out of the bathroom, crossing over to the door.

“Room service,” a familiar voice called out.

James smirked, then opened the door to reveal young Moneypenny. “I didn’t order anything. Not even you.”

“I’ve got some new information,” she told him.

“Aren’t you a little over qualified to be delivering messages,” James asked, turning away, and heading back to the bathroom.

“Oh, it’s all part of the learning curve,” Eve replied, stepping into the suite, and closing the door behind her. “And Q’s afraid of flying.”

James rolled his eyes. “Of course, he is,” he muttered, laying his gun on the vanity. He picked up the soap tin and shaving brush.

“So, whoever stole the list has already decrypted it,” Moneypenny told him from the doorway. “They’ve posted the first five names on the web.”

“Well, it was only a matter of time,” James said, lathering up his face.

“Well, that’s just the start. They’re posting five more next week, and the week after. It’s some kind of sadistic game.”

James put the tin and brush aside, then reached for his razor, and opened it.

“Cut-throat razor. How very traditional,” she said.

“I like to do some things the old-fashioned way,” he told her, meeting her gaze in the mirror. 

Eve sauntered into the bathroom. “Sometimes, the old ways are the best,” she said in a low voice.

James paused, then lowered the razor as he turned to face her.

“Would you like some help with that?” she asked.

Images of Olivia kneeling before him, wearing his shirt, as she shaved him just days earlier, filled his mind.

He shook his head.

“No thanks.”

“Are you sure?” Eve asked.

“Very. I appreciate the offer, but I’m a big boy,” James replied.

Eve shrugged, then turned and walked back to stand in the doorway. 

“M’s already briefed me on the list,” James told her, then drew the razor down his cheek. “Which raises the tantalizing question of what you’re really doing here.”

“My official directive was to help. In any way I can.”

“Like spying for Mallory?” He removed another strip of foam and hair.

“You know, Mallory’s not as bad as you think.”

“He’s a bureaucrat.”

“You should do your homework,” Moneypenny told him. “Gareth Mallory was a Lieutenant Colonel --” 

“Lieutenant Colonel in Northern Ireland, Hereford Regiment. Spent three months at the hands of the IRA.”

“So, there’s more to him than meets the eye,” Eve said.

“We’ll see,” James said, then looked at her in the mirror. “Why don’t you help yourself to a drink while I finish up in here.”

Eve nodded, then turned, and walked away.

Twenty minutes later, wearing a pair of casual trousers and t-shirt, James joined Eve out on the balcony.

“So, what’s the plan?” Eve asked him.

“I’m in possession of a casino chip which I believe will lead me to the person behind all this,” James told her. “The plan is to cash it in, and see where that takes me.”

“All right. What do you need me to do?”

“Provide back up,” he said. “Did you bring a gown or outfit worthy of a high-class casino?”

Eve nodded.

“Good. I want yo…” his voice trailed off into a groan as he doubled over in pain, then collapsed onto the balcony.

Moneypenny dropped to her knees beside him. “Bond!?”

James shook his head. Unable to respond.

The pain was more intense than any of the previous attacks. 

He could hear Eve talking, but could not make any sense of what she was saying; the pain was too intense.

James closed his eyes, and concentrated on trying to ignore the pain and relax.

Little by little, the pain began to recede.

“I’m ringing Tanner.” He heard Eve say.

His hand shot out to grab hers. “No!”

“Bond, we need to get another agent out here. You’re in no condition for this.”

“I’ll be fine,” he told her, sounding out of breath even to his own ears. “It’s easing.”

A few minutes later, with Eve’s help, James sat up.

“Honestly, Eve. It will be all right. _I’ll_ be all right,” James said, pleased to hear his voice sounded normal.

She shook her head. “I don’t know. I still think I should ring Tanner.”

“No. Bill will only tell Olivia, and she can’t find out this is happening. Not yet.”

Moneypenny’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Olivia? You mean M?”

James nodded. “Sorry. I’m still not used to her being M, and have a hard time remembering to call her by her title. She’s only ever been Olivia to me.”

“Oh my god!” Moneypenny clapped her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with realization. “You’re involved,” she whispered. “I just… you and M!?”

“Yes.”

She blushed furiously. “Oh shit!”

James chuckled.

“It’s not funny.”

“It is from where I’m sitting.”

“I’m never going to make Double O now.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I tried to seduce the head of MI6’s partner.”

“You didn’t know.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Olivia is not a petty woman,” he told her. “Besides, a good agent should use every tool in their arsenal. Seduction is a time honoured method of eliciting information. You took a gamble, I respect that. Olivia would as well.”

Moneypenny shook her head.

“Trust me. I know her well.”

She sighed, then nodded reluctantly.

“Good. And if it will help to make you feel better, I won’t tell her about it so long as you don’t tell her about this attack.”

Moneypenny frowned. “I don’t know. It looked pretty serious.”

“Please, Eve. It’s very important I complete this assignment.”

Eve looked thoughtful, then nodded. “All right.”

“Thank you.”

“On one condition.”

James’ eyes narrowed. “What’s that?”

“Tell her when we get back. She deserves to know.”

“You’re as shrewd as your grandmother.”

“Flattery won’t work. Do we have a deal?”

His smile slowly returned, and he nodded. “Deal.”

“Good.”

“Okay, help me up, and let’s finish discussing our plan of attack.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“I’ll see you there.”

James nodded, then watched Eve leave.

Alone in his suite, he made his way to the bedroom, then dropped, face first onto the bed.

He was exhausted.

That last attack had zapped so much of his energy.

“Fuck!” he swore into the bedding, then rolled over onto his back, and stared up at the ceiling. “What the hell is happening to me?”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

James stepped off the boat that had just ferried him across the water, then made his way into the casino.

His eyes darted around the large room as he crossed a wooden interior bridge that spanned a deep pit. Glancing down, James noted the large Komodo dragons, then turned his attention back to where he was going.

This particular section of the casino focussed solely on gaming tables, it seemed. There were no slot machines, so the noise in the room was relatively low; confined mostly to the soft hum of conversation.

He spotted Eve as he reached the other side of the pit, leaning against a pillar with a drink, as he walked down the steps leading to the main floor.

“Good evening,” he murmured.

“Good evening.” Her voice sounded in his ear.

“Stop touching your ear,” he told her, watching with approval as she lowered her hand.

He paused once he reached the bottom of the steps, and glanced around once again.

“I got three exits. And lots of blind spots,” he told her

“I’ve got them covered,” she replied, pushing away from the pillar, and moving in the opposite direction.

“You look lovely in that dress.”

“Thank you. You don’t scrub up so bad yourself.”

James chuckled. “Do you like to gamble?” he asked her, as he wandered through the tables, making his way to the cashier’s cage at the back of the casino.

“I like a little flutter now and then,” Eve replied, approaching him from the opposite direction. “Who doesn’t like to take chances?” she said, brushing against his shoulder as she passed him.

He smirked, then approached the cashier with a smile.

“Good evening, sir,” said a young Asian woman, wearing a white wig. “How may I help you?”

“Good evening,” he replied, then placed the chip on the counter, and slid it beneath the cage to her. “I’d like to cash this in, please.”

The young woman picked it up, looked at it, then met James’ eyes. She gave him a brief nod. “One moment, sir,” she said, then walked away.

James watched her go, then slipping his hands into his trouser pockets, he turned around. Leaning against the counter of the cashier’s cage, glanced around the casino.

Off to his right, standing on a landing, he noticed a tall, slim brunette smoking a cigarette as she stood with three familiar looking men. One of the men had his fingers against his ear.

Why do they always touch their ears, James wondered, don’t they realize it’s dead giveaway that they’re wearing an earpiece? 

He saw the man speak to the woman. She turned seconds later, leaned on the railing, and stared across the casino at him, in what he supposed was meant to be a seductive pose.

It was the woman from the night before, James realized.

He turned away when he heard approaching footsteps, and saw two men walking toward him with a metal briefcase.

“Good fortune tonight, sir,” the shorter of the two men said.

James glanced back at the brunette. “Let’s hope so,” he replied, as he watched her begin to walk down the stairs, then turned back to the men. He reached out and released the latches on the case, then lifted the lid just enough to look inside. 

It was as he figured. A pay off. 

He closed the lid, refastened the latches, then took the case from the taller man.

The other man held out a small pile of chips. “With compliments of the house,” he said, dropping them into Bond’s hand.

“Thank you,” James replied, then walked away.

He headed straight for the gaming tables, knowing instinctively the woman would join him. She was, he knew, part of whatever was going on, and he hoped she would lead him to Rodriguez.

As he crossed the room, he glanced briefly in the direction he knew her to be, and saw her heading his way.

He stopped at the baccarat table in the middle of the room.

“Now you can afford to buy me a drink,” the brunette said in a slightly accented voice, as she reached his side.

“Maybe I’ll even stretch to two,” James replied. “I’m guessing I’ve got four million Euros in here.” In that moment, he was grateful for the two days waiting around in Q’s office after he’d been thawed. He’d spent those days catching up on a lot what had happened in the last forty years, including the introduction of the new currency.

“Not bad. I like this game,” the woman told him.

“Why don’t we play another one?”

“I don’t gamble,” she murmured, stepping around him, taking a drag of her cigarette. “I’m not very lucky.”

“Bit like our friend in Shanghai.”

She smiled, but James could see it was not a sincere one. “I’ve been waiting to see who would redeem the chip. You made such a bold entrance into our little drama.”

“Did I over complicate the plot?” James asked, reaching over to place a few chips on the table.

“Who doesn’t appreciate the occasional twist, Mr…?”

He straightened up. “Bond. James Bond.”

“Severine,” she gave him her name. “So, Mr. Bond, shall we discuss your next performance over that drink?”

“I’d like that.” James smiled, then glanced back over his shoulder. “Will your friends be joining us?”

Severine’s eyes darted away from him for a second before meeting his gaze again. “I am afraid that is inevitable,” she said, then turned, and began walking away.

James followed.

“She’s pretty.” Moneypenny’s voice sounded in his ear.

“Now. Now.”

“If you like that sort of thing.”

James reached up to remove his ear piece. “I don’t really, but it’s all part of the job,” he said into the small speaker. “Something to consider if you wish to continue in this line of work.” 

He dropped the mic into Eve’s glass of champagne as he passed the table she was sitting at. “I’ll keep you posted,” he whispered, and felt her eyes on him as he followed Severine into the bar.

As he pulled the bar stool out for Severine, he noticed the three men moving to stand on the raised floor behind the bar. Once she was seated, James took the stool next to her, placing the briefcase on the floor next to his feet.

“White wine,” Severine said, lighting another cigarette.

James turned to find another young Asian woman in a white wig standing behind the bar, looking at him expectantly. 

“Martini. Shaken,” he told her.

Neither he nor Severine spoke as they watched the bartender fix their drinks. She poured the wine first, then added the ingredients for his martini into the metal shaker, followed by several ice cubes. Placing the lid on the shaker, she gave it several strong shakes, then removed the lid, and poured it into the waiting martini glass.

“Perfect,” James told her.

“Would you mind if I asked you a business question?” Severine asked.

“Depends on the question.”

“It has to do with death.”

“A subject in which you’re well versed.”

“How would you know that?”

“Only a certain type of woman wears a backless dress with a Beretta 70 strapped to her thigh.”

“One can never be too careful when handsome men in tuxedos carry Walthers.” She smiled. “Am I correct in assuming you killed Patrice?”

“Yes.”

“Might I ask why?”

“I want to meet your employer.”

Severine paused, and brought her cigarette to her lips.

Her hand, James noticed, shook as she took a drag.

She exhaled slowly. “Be careful what you wish for.”

“You’re afraid.”

Severine forced a smile. “Thank you for the drink,” she crushed her cigarette out in the ashtray, “Mr. Bond.” She grabbed her cigarette case from the bar, and began to slide off the bar stool.

James grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

Severine glanced up at the men still standing behind the bar, then sat back on the stool. She looked at Bond.

“You put on a good show,” James said. “But ever since we sat down, you haven’t stopped looking at your bodyguards. Now, three of them is a little excessive. They’re controlling you. They’re not protecting you.” He turned her arm so her inner wrist face up between them. “The tattoo on your wrist is Macau sex trade. You belonged to one of the houses.”

He’d been surprised to see the tattoo. Surprised to discover the sex trafficking was still rampant in this part of the world. Though a small part of him was not surprised in the least.

“What were you? Twelve? Thirteen?” James continued. “I’m guessing he was your way out. And perhaps you thought you were in love. But that was a long time ago.”

“You know nothing about it.”

He’d hit a nerve, he realized. “I know when a woman is afraid and pretending not to be.”

Severine held his gaze. “How much do you know about fear?”

“All there is.”

She shook her head slightly. “Not like this.” She gave a small, frightened laugh. “Not like him.”

“I can help you.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Let me try.”

“How?”

“Bring me to him.”

Her bottom lip shook. “Can you kill him?”

“Yes.”

“Will you?”

“Someone usually dies.”

Severine gave another frightened laugh. “Perhaps you can,” she said, then sat back on her chair, and leaned her head against her hand. “When I leave, they’re going to kill you. If you survive, I’m on the Chimera. North harbour. Berth seven. We cast off in an hour,” she told him, then smiled. “Very nice to have met you, Mr. Bond.”

She slipped off the bar stool, and stood.

James stood as well.

“Good luck,” she said, then walked away.

James turned back to the bar, and leaned against it for a moment, before picking up his drink. He raised it in a toast to the three men still standing behind the bar, then downed the martini.

Placing the now empty glass back on the bar, he stooped down to grab the case of money, then left the bar.

As he made his way toward the main exit, James glanced at the table where Eve had been sitting earlier, and noted the table was empty.

Good, he thought, wondering if she’d followed after Severine.

Reaching the stairs, he walked up them to the bridge, then stopped when his way was blocked by one of the bodyguards. He turned, and as expected, the other two guards were behind him; one of them with his hand inside his jacket.

“Right,” he muttered under his breath, then nodded as if accepting the inevitable.

He bent to put the briefcase down, then swung it up instead, catching the man in front of him under the chin.

The man went down.

James spun around, smashing the case into the knees of the man closest to him, knocking him down before he could pull out his gun.

He hit the third man in the chest, causing him to stagger backwards.

As he turned back round, he hit the second man with the case again, whacking him on the back of the head as he tried to climb to his feet. The man fell onto the bridge.

The third man had managed to stay on his feet, and he charged James, throwing a punch that James countered by using the case as a shield. He then used the case to hit him repeatedly until he collapsed.

James hadn’t noticed the first man he’d hit had got to his feet until it was too late. The man charged him with a yell, and caught him round the waist.

They both went over the railing, and landed in a heap in the Komodo Dragon pit.

James scrambled to his feet, as did his opponent, and the two circled each other like a couple of boxers.

The larger man threw the first punch. James ducked out of the way, then threw an uppercut as he straightened up. They traded several more punches, James finally landing a blow that caused the other man to stagger.

As James stumbled a little himself, he caught sight of one of the dragons slowly walking out of its cave, and backed away. 

The other man came at him again, ignoring James’ warning about the dragon, and managed to pick James up, then slam him down onto the dirt floor.

Stunned, the breath knocked out of him, James lay there.

His opponent bent over him, and pulled his gun from the holster, then backed away as James climbed to his feet.

He couldn’t help smirking, when the man aimed the gun at him. “Good luck with that.”

The bodyguard pulled the trigger, but the gun merely clicked.

“Told you,” James said, then winced when the dragon he’d spotted just moments ago, clamped his jaw around the man’s leg.

“Aagh!” the man screamed, as the dragon pulled him off his feet, then began dragging him back toward its cave.

James heard a loud hiss from just off to his right, and turned just as the second lizard appeared out of the dark corner. As it hurried across the dirt, James ran toward it, and stepping on its back, used it to reach the edge of the bridge overhead.

He pulled himself up, only to find himself facing the barrel of a gun.

A heeled foot came down hard on the hand holding the gun, and then the metal case came down, smashing the man in the face, knocking him out.

James looked up to see Moneypenny grinning down at him.

“Thank you,” he said, then pulled himself up, and over the railing onto the bridge.

Moneypenny held the case out to him.

“Put it all on red,” James told her, as he buttoned up his jacket. 

A small amused smile curled the corners of her mouth.

James grinned, then with a quick tug on each shirt cuff, he turned and walked away.

The bodyguard’s screams following him out of the casino.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

James slipped unnoticed onto the deck of the large yacht, then found a spot to hide himself, deciding to wait until the boat was under way before meeting Severine.

He grimaced as pain shot through his body.

Fuck! Not now, he thought, biting his lips to keep his groan from escaping.

He concentrated on breathing deeply in an attempt to marshal the pain.

In and out. Slow and deep.

Little by little, James felt the pain begin to ease. A few minutes later, it had passed completely, and he realized he could hear the boat’s engine.

He waited a few moments more, then slipped out of his hiding place, and stealthily made his way to the main cabin.

Once inside, he closed and locked the door, then leaned back against it, and looked around the spacious cabin. Much too ostentatious for his taste, James thought, taking in the excessive opulence.

On the table in the middle of the cabin, was a bottle of champagne chilling in an ornate ice bucket, and beside it, two champagne flutes.

Severine was expecting him, and expecting to seduce him, he realized.

James stepped away from the door, and moved further into the room. That’s when the sound of the shower running reached his ears. He crossed the cabin, and gently pushed the door open further. Peering into the bathroom, he saw Severine standing beneath the spray of water.

He knew the sight was meant to entice him to join her. Forty years ago, he would not have hesitated, and would have been naked and in the shower with her in moments.

James loosened his tie, then turned, and walked back into the main cabin.

Opening the champagne, he poured himself a glass, then wandered over to the sofa, and sat down to wait.

Twenty minutes later, Severine appeared in the doorway.

Her hair was still damp, her robe hanging open.

“You should do that up, you’ll catch a chill.”

She jumped.

“I did not think you would make it,” Severine said, making no move to close her robe.

“Yes, you did,” James replied, raising his glass in a mock salute, then took a sip of the cool liquid. “Seriously though. Close your robe, I’m not interested.”

Shrugging, she closed her robe and secured the tie, then walked over to the table, and poured some champagne for herself. She then joined him on the sofa. Her robe parted as she crossed her legs, revealing a generous expanse of tanned thigh.

James took another swallow of his champagne.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“This is becoming tiresome,” Olivia muttered, as she and Tanner made their way down the empty corridor, heading for Mallory’s office.

“Yes, ma’am,” Tanner replied. 

She’d been summoned once again. A fact that did not sit well with her.

On top of that, it was late. She was tired, and wanted nothing more than to go home, slip into one of James’ shirts, then curl up around his pillow in their bed, and sleep.

Funny, she thought, how quickly she’d got used to having him back in her life, and how thoroughly he had infiltrated every part of her again in so short a time.

Then again, she mused, had he ever truly left her?

Olivia shook her head, clearing her thoughts, as she and Tanner reached Mallory’s office.

“You may go straight in,” Mallory’s secretary told them.

Olivia acknowledged her with a nod, then walked past the young woman’s desk, and entered the office.

Seeing her, Mallory moved out from behind his desk, and without greeting her and before she could say anything, he pointed the remote at the TV.

It was the same BBC news segment she’d seen earlier in the evening about the execution of another one of her agents. This one had been filmed; the footage uploaded to You Tube.

They’d been unable to pull him out quickly enough, and the pain of it troubled Olivia greatly.

Crossing the office, Olivia began removing her jacket, draping it over her arm as she reached the television.

Her eyes tracked the news ticker under the headline banner, as the reporter continued speaking.

_“…The Prime Minister continues to express public support for MI6, while the opposition has taken the position…”_

Malloy turned the television off. “Has taken the position we’re bunch of antiquated bloody idiots fighting a war we don’t understand and can’t possibly win,” he said, putting the remote down.

“Look, three of my agents are dead already. Don’t embroil me in politics now,” Olivia told him, then placed her jacket on the chair beside her.

“The Prime Minister’s ordered an inquiry. You’ll have to appear.”

“Oh, standing in the stocks at midday? Who’s antiquated now?”

“For Christ’s sake, listen to yourself. We’re a democracy, we’re accountable to the people we’re trying to defend,” Mallory said, walking back to his desk. “We can’t keep working in the shadows. There are no more shadows.”

Olivia could not believe what she was hearing from the man who would be taking over her job. “You don’t get this, do you?” she said, taking a step forward to lean against his desk. “Whoever’s behind this, whoever’s doing it, he knows us. He’s one of us. He comes from the same place as Bond, and agents like him. The place you say doesn’t exist.”

Mallory planted his hands on his desk and leaned forward, waiting for her to finish.

“The Shadows,” she finished. 

He continued to stare at her. 

She held his gaze without flinching, almost daring him to contradict her. 

“You know who this person is,” he said in a quiet voice. “The other day when I asked you about it, you said you had only a suspicion, but you know.”

Olivia shook her head. “It’s still only supposition.”

Mallory regarded her steadily for several moments. “I don’t believe it is. I believe you know who is behind it.”

“And if I do?” she challenged.

Mallory straightened up, and slipped his hands into his pockets. “I’m not your enemy, M. I’d be a fool to dismiss your instincts and years of experience. And I’m no fool.”

Olivia allowed a small smile to play on her lips.

“I trust you have your reasons for keeping that information to yourself.”

“I do.”

“We’ll leave it at that, then, and hope Bond finds the person responsible,” Mallory said. “Speaking of, have you heard from Bond?”

“I have, yes. He phoned last night.”

“Has he made any progress?”

“He has. Yes.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Mallory replied. “Now that we have all that out of the way, shall we get down to the real reason I asked to see you.”

“That would be nice.”

Mallory gestured for her to take a seat in front of his desk, then beckoned for Tanner to come close, as he took his seat.

“I have some questions about operations in MI6.”

“Of course,” Olivia said. “But that’s why I assigned Miss Moneypenny to you. To help you with that.”

“True.” Mallory nodded. “However, Miss Moneypenny is handling a special assignment for me at the moment.”

Olivia’s eyes narrowed slightly.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Olivia stared out the car window as Richards drove through the relatively quiet streets.

It had been a long evening. Mallory had had a lot of questions.

She supposed she should have been annoyed, but she took it as a good sign that he wanted to know and understand how MI6 worked, and how _she_ ran things. It showed he was serious about wanting to make handing over the reins to him as painless as possible.

It was, after all, why she had assigned Eve to assist him. Not only was she a very good agent, she was a very capable secretary. Mallory sending her off on an assignment had both surprised and irritated her.

“Do you believe Mallory when he said he sent Moneypenny to assist Bond?”

She turned at Tanner’s quiet question.

Before leaving his office, Mallory had confessed that he’d sent Eve to Macau to assist Bond.

“Yes. I believe him.”

Tanner nodded. That was good enough for him.

Olivia turned back to the window.

Yes, she believed Mallory had sent Eve to help James, but a small part of her could not help wondering if there was more to it.


	13. Chapter 13

James stepped out of the cabin onto the deck of the sailboat, squinting in the sunlight, and paused to take a deep breath, pulling the fresh, salty air deep into his lungs.

He loved the sea.

Perhaps, once this assignment was finished, and Olivia had retired, he could convince her they should buy a boat, and sail around the world. He allowed himself another moment to enjoy the thought, then pushed it to the back of his mind.

Now was not the time.

He spotted Severine standing near the bow, her hair blowing in the cool breeze, as the boat headed toward a small island. When he’d woken up, he discovered she wasn’t in the bed. He’d pulled his shoes on, forgoing his tuxedo jacket, then had made his way topside.

Reaching into his pocket, James withdrew the small radio Q had given him and activated the beacon. He slipped it back into his pocket, then slowly made his way across the deck, passing two crew members as we went.

“It’s not too late. We could turn back,” Severine told him when he reached her side.

James heard a gun cock, and glanced back over his shoulder to see five guards, one carrying a machine gun, come up behind them.

“I wouldn’t be too sure,” he replied, then faced the bow again.

Neither one spoke as the boat cut across the water, continuing on toward the island ahead.

Several minutes later, the boat glided into its berth.

James’ jacket was thrown at him.

“Put it on,” the taller man growled at him.

James slipped the jacket on, and buttoned it up.

The guard gestured for him to turn around, then reached out to yank James’ arms behind his back, and secured his wrists with some rope.

Two of the others did the same thing to Severine.

Once they were both bound, and the boat secured to the jetty, they were ushered off the yacht, and onto the dock. They were then marched out onto the street.

James looked around, taking in the rundown state of the buildings.

“They abandoned it almost overnight,” Severine told him. “He made them think there was a leak at the chemical plant. It’s amazing the panic you can cause with a single computer.”

They continued walking along the dusty, cluttered street.

“He wanted the island, so he took it,” she finished.

“Does he always get what he wants?” James asked.

“More than you know.”

One of the guards moved between them, and spoke in a language James did not understand. He suddenly found himself being grabbed by the arms and pulled toward an open door he hadn’t noticed in the building next to him.

“I’m sorry,” Severine called out to him, as one of the guards dragged her in the opposite direction.

James was ushered down a short hallway into a large room filled with racks of what he assumed were computers, then was unceremoniously pushed down into a metal chair; his secured arms hanging over the back of it.

The guards moved to stand out of the way behind him.

He glanced around the room. There were three tables close to him; two had monitors on  
them, the other an open laptop, along with several empty chairs.

And at the back of the room, next to a set of frosted glass doors, he saw the tracks for a small lift.

That, he realized, would be how Rodriguez would make his entrance.

It was just a matter of when.

He didn’t have to wait long.

With a soft whirr, the lift began to descend. It reached the bottom moments later, and the doors opened to reveal a tall blond man wearing dark trousers and a cream coloured jacket.

He’s dyed his hair, James realized with amusement. Before leaving for Shanghai, Olivia had shown him an old photo of Rodriguez on her computer. It had been her hope that it would give James some sort of advantage, small though it may be.

“Hello, James. Welcome. Do you like my little island?”

“Could use a little fixing up.”

“Perhaps.” He stepped off the lift, and with measured steps, walked slowly toward him. “My grandmother had an island once. Nothing to boast of. You could walk around it in an hour. But still, it was a paradise for us.”

“I’m so happy for you,” James replied in a flat voice.

He waggled his finger. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Be nice. What would mommy say, hmm?”

James did not respond. He simply continued to watch as Rodriguez drew closer.

“Speaking of the old woman, we should observe the niceties, don’t you think? I know your name, so you should know mine.” He gave a little bow. “Raul Silva, at your service.”

James blinked, but otherwise said nothing.

Silva continued, “I have to admit, I am a little disappointed.”

“Oh?”

He nodded. “You’re James Bond. 007 himself. The legendary agent every MI6 agent aspires to be like. Caught so easily; ensnared by a beautiful face.” He shook his head. “It would have taken so much more than that to catch me.”

“I’m sure,” James replied, then said, “Station H, am I right? Hong Kong?”

Silva smiled and nodded. “Eighty-six to ninety-seven. Back then I was her favourite. I was an even better agent than the legendary James Bond.” 

James shrugged, shaking his head in amusement, as Silva reached for one of the empty chairs, dragged it over and placed it in front of James, then sat down.

“Just look at you. You look a little rough, as though you are barely holding yourself together. And I know why.”

“Do you?”

“Mmhmm.” Silva nodded. “When you gave Severine your name, I could not believe it. After all, you are a legend within the sacred walls of MI6. Dying while trying to save the old Quartermaster’s life. At least, that was the official story. We both know now that was not the case. So, when I heard you claim to be James Bond, I had to seek proof of your claim.”

“Of course.”

The Spaniard smiled, pleased.

“I did not have to dig far, however,” he said, sounding almost disappointed. “Q, that doddering old fool, had recorded everything as per procedure. So, I know all about him finding your cryotube, and thawing you out, and…” he made an encompassing gesture with his hands, “everything.”

Silva sighed dramatically.

“So, the legend of the great 007 is nothing more than folklore. Such a shame. Think of how disappointed all those agents will be when they learn the truth. That you died as nothing more than an ice lolly.”

James shrugged.

“You do not care.”

“No.”

“Good. I am happy to hear that. But tell me, why did you do it?”

“I thought you knew everything.”

Silva smirked. “And so I do.” He folded his hands over his stomach. “There was something familiar about you, but I could not place it.” Silva told him. “Then it came to me, and I knew where I had seen you before.” His lips curled into a cold smile. “In a photograph. In a frame. Kept by her bed.”

James felt a cold hand grip his heart.

“By mommy’s bed,” Rodriguez said again. “And I realized something, dear James, you are the one who kept me from possessing her. You. Not that queer she pretended to be married to. You.”

James smirked. “What was it you said about favourites?”

Silva’s eyes narrowed. “How disappointed you must have been to wake up after all these years, only to discover how old she’d become, hmm? Her skin no longer smooth and taut, but loose and wrinkled. Instead of a slim and curvaceous figure, to find her thick around the middle, curves no longer to be seen. You can tell me, James. Tell me how much you wish you’d been left in the deep freeze.”

James merely tilted his head, and regarded Silva with a blank expression.

Silva frowned, and shook his head. “You’re still clinging to your faith in that old woman, even though all she’s done is lie to you.”

“She’s never lied to me?”

“No?”

“No.”

“What did you score on your marksmanship evaluation?”

“Seventy.”

Silva laughed. “Forty.”

“Did she tell you the psychologist cleared you for duty?”

“Yes.”

“No. No.” He shook his head, then got up quickly from the chair, and walked over to the table with the open laptop. He sat down with a sigh, and tapped a few keys. “Medical evaluation: fail. Physical evaluation: failed. Psychological evaluation: pathological rejection of authority based on unresolved childhood trauma. Subject is not cleared for field duty, and immediate suspension from service is advised. What is this if not betrayal?”

James lowered his head. Olivia was right, he thought, the hint of a smile on his lips. She’d predicted Rodriguez would do something like this, and had planted the false information in his file. James had agreed with her idea, realizing it would give him an advantage if Rodriguez thought him not up to the challenge.

He raised his head when he heard the other man rise from his chair, and walk back over to him.

“She sent you after me knowing you’re not ready, knowing you’ll likely die.” He moved the chair closer to James, and sat down. “Mommy was very bad.”

The two men stared at each other, and then, to James’ surprise, Silva reached out to push aside the collar of James’ shirt. He traced his finger over a large, ugly bruise on his shoulder.

James did not react. Olivia had warned James of this possibility as well; that Rodriguez favoured both men and women. _“And you are a handsome devil, James. Don’t be surprised if he tries to seduce you.”_

“Ooh! See what she’s done to you.”

“Well, she never tied me to a chair.”

“Her loss.”

Silva traced his finger along James’ collar bone.

“Are you sure this is about M?” James asked.

“It’s about her. And you, and me,” he told him. “You see, you and I are the last two rats running around in the crazy maze she’s trapped us in.” He lifted his hand to draw his finger along James’ jaw. “We can either eat other…” he traced James’ Adam’s apple, “or break free of the maze and eat everyone else.”

He tickled his fingers along James’ throat, causing him to flinch slightly. 

“How you’re trying to remember your training now,” Silva said, his eyes dancing with amusement, as his finger returned to circle Bond’s Adam’s apple. “What’s the regulation to cover this?”

He placed his hands James’ thighs, and stroked them down to his knees. “Well, first time for everything. Yes?”

“What makes you think this is my first time?”

Silva sat back in his chair. “Oh, Mr. Bond! I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks, hmm?” He stared at James for a few seconds, then rolled out of his seat to face him. “All that physical stuff. So dull. So dull.” 

He moved around to stand just behind Bond’s chair.

“Chasing spies. So old fashioned.” James felt his breath on the back of his neck when Silva leaned over and tugged on the rope binding his wrists. “Your knees must be killing you.”

James yanked his hands apart with a look of annoyance on his face once the rope was loosened sufficiently, but remained seated, as Silva stood before him once again. Looking up at him, James realized he was about to give yet another speech.

He does enjoy hearing himself speak, James thought.

“England. Pfft. The Empire. MI6,” Silva began, rolling his eyes with each word. “You’ve woken up after forty years to live in the ruins, and you just don’t know it.” He chuckled and shook his head. “At least here there are no little old ladies giving orders, and no little gadgets from those fools in Q branch.”

He walked over to one of the tables, and leaned back against it.

“If you wanted, you could pick your own secret missions. As I do,” Silva told him. “Name it. Name it.” He pushed himself away from the table and scurried over to the other one, and pressed a button on the keyboard. The screen on the monitor suddenly changed. “Destabilize a multi-national by manipulating stocks. Easy.” He moved back to the other table, and pressed another key. “Interrupt transmissions from a spy satellite over Kabure. Done.” He moved to stand between both tables, and folded his hands in front of him. “Rig an election in Uganda, all to the highest bidder.”

“Or a gas explosion in London?”

“Mmhmm. Just point and click.”

“Well, everyone needs a hobby.”

“Even an old man such as yourself can learn.”

“I have a hobby, thanks.”

“And what’s that?”

“Resurrection.”

Silva regarded him for a moment, then turned and began walking away, gesturing for James to follow. “Come, I want to show you something.”

James got to his feet, and followed after him.

The guards, he noticed, trailed along as well.

Silva lead him past the lift to the doors. Once through them, they walked down a short hall to another set of doors that opened to the outside. Stepping into the sunshine, James pulled his sunglasses out of his pocket, and slipped them on.

Music played over a loud speaker in the courtyard, as the two walked along the pavement.

“Tells a story, doesn’t it?” 

James looked around.

“They left the island in such a rush, not knowing what to take or what to leave behind; not knowing what was important,” Silva continued his tale. “And seeing this every day reminds me to focus on the essentials. There’s nothing superfluous in my life. If something is redundant,” he waved his hand absently, “it is eliminated.”

They approached a couple of tables. One of the tables held a silver platter, on which was a bottle of Scotch and two shot glasses. And curiously, James noted, a small blue vase with three daisies.

On the other table was a large brown, antique looking case.

Further down from the tables, along the cracked pavement was a large, dilapidated statue. Secured to the base of the statue was Severine, hanging forward as if dead. She straightened up when she heard Silva’s voice.

James frowned.

Her wrists were still secured, and it was obvious that she’d been beaten. The blood from her split lip had been left to dry at the corner of her mouth, and she had a cut above her eye.

“Fifty year old MacCallan,” Silva said, grabbing the bottle of Scotch. “A particular favourite of yours, I understand.”

James looked back at him.

“So, what’s the toast?” Silva asked, picking up both glasses. He carried them over to James, and handed him one. “To the women we love, hmm?”

He tapped the rim of his glass to James’, then walked away, heading for Severine.

James downed the shot. He stepped over to the table, and placed the now empty glass on the tray, then walked back to stand between the two tables to watch Silva as he approached Severine.

She’d fallen forward again, her hair hanging in a limp curtain.

“Darling,” Silva called in a sing-song voice, reaching out to help her up. “Darling, your lovers are here.”

He leaned in and kissed her, ignoring her obvious discomfort.

“Stand up straight,” he told her, grabbing the back of her neck. “Keep still. Now, whatever you do,” he reached up to place the shot glass on the top of her head, “don’t lose your head.” He steadied the glass. “Don’t lose your head.”

Satisfied it wasn’t going to fall, Silva winked, smiled, then turned and hurried back to Bond. “Time to redeem your marksmanship scores,” he called out. “Let’s see,” he headed for the antique box on the other table, and opened it, lifting out an old pistol, “who can be the first to knock the glass from her head.”

He pivoted in James’ direction, and held the pistol out to him.

James heard a gun cock behind him, and as he took the pistol from Silva, he glanced behind him to find the taller of the guards, training a gun on him. He removed his sunglasses, and placed them on the tray with the Scotch.

Silva grabbed the second pistol, and closed the lid to the box. “And just to be sporting, I’ll let you go first,” he told James, moving to stand beside him.

James turned to face Severine, and cocked the pistol.

He raised the gun.

Silva suddenly leaned in close, and James lowered the pistol. “Let’s see who ends up on top,” he taunted.

The guard behind James stepped closer as Silva stepped back, and pressed the barrel of his gun to James’ temple.

James raised the pistol again. 

He did not pull the trigger.

Silva released a deep, annoyed sigh. “Oh, I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it. Did being in that cryotube actually kill you? Is there any, any of the old 007 left?”

James held his gun steady as he stared at Severine.

He pulled the trigger.

The shot missed the glass and her head. Deliberately.

“My turn,” Silva said, stepping forward, and fired his pistol.

The shot hit Severine between the eyes. Blood and brain matter splattered on the stone behind her.

The glass of Scotch fell to the dirt, spilling the amber liquid, as her upper body fell forward, the rope around her middle securing her to the base of the statue keeping her from collapsing into a heap on the ground.

“I win!” Silva remarked. “What do you say to that?”

James sighed, and shook his head. “It’s a waste of good Scotch.”

Without warning, he turned sharply, striking the guard behind him across the face with his pistol, pulling the trigger at the same time, hitting one of the other guards in the shoulder. He held the man’s wrist in a vice, as he threw the pistol at a third man.

James twisted the tall guard’s arm, and grabbed the gun from his hand.

He shot another man, then fell to the ground and fired back over his head, hitting yet another guard. Spotting one of the guards standing in the shadows with a machine gun, he rolled to his side, pulling the one guard’s body with him, using him as a shield as the man in the shadows fired off several rounds.

When there was a pause, James turned back, and shot him.

He rolled up onto his feet, gun raised.

They were all dead.

James turned to find Silva behind him, his hands up as he backed away.

“What are you going to do now? Take me back to her? All on your own?” Silva asked.

James chuckled, then grinned. “Who says I’m on my own?”

Silva turned at the sound of approaching helicopters, and looked up to find three large choppers hovering over them. He looked back at James.

James reached into his trouser pocket, and withdrew the distress beacon. He held it up. “Latest thing from Q branch. It’s called a radio.”

Silva scowled.

James kept his gun trained on Silva as agents began rappelling down from the helicopters.

Two of them immediately took hold of Silva, while another hurried over to James. “Sir, Agent Billings,” the man introduced himself.

“Billings.” James acknowledged, lowering his gun.

“Orders, sir?”

“Secure the prisoner. There’s also some equipment in there,” he pointed toward the building Silva had held him in, “that we should take for Q branch to look over. The one laptop computer in particular.”

“Very good, sir. And the bodies?”

James looked around the dead men, then over to where Severine’s body still hung limply, blood pooling in the dirt at her feet. He frowned. She hadn’t deserved that.

He turned back to Billings. “I don’t care how you deal with them.” He gestured to the guards, then pointed to Severine’s body. “But her, treat her with respect. She was a victim in all this, too.”

“Yes, sir.” Billings nodded, then walked away, pressing his finger to his ear to activate his mic.

Moments later, one of the choppers landed, and more men spilled out.

James moved out of the way to allow the recovery team to do what they needed to do, but kept his attention focused on Silva. Only when his wrists and ankles were in shackles, did James allow his grip on the gun to ease.

He watched three of the agents walk Silva to the chopper, then load him onto it, and secure him to the bench.

Billings walked over to him. “We’re ready to go. The second chopper will land once we take off to grab the bodies. Did you want to ride in the first or second one?”

“First.” James was not ready to let Rodriguez out of his sight. There was just one thing that concerned him about the trip back to London. He glanced back at Billings. “Do you have a gag?”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“And it was after the altercation that 007 left, ma’am.”

“To meet with the woman you mentioned?”

“I can’t say for certain, but I believe so, yes.”

M nodded. “Is there anything else?”

Eve fought to keep herself from fidgeting under M’s steady gaze. But as she met the older woman’s eyes, Eve could see the worry in them. 

She really does love him, Eve realized. And not only that, she knows.

“Yes, ma’am.” Eve nodded. “There is something else.” 

She hesitated, knowing she was about to break her promise to Bond, but consoled herself with the reminder that he’d promised to tell her himself.

“Well?” M prodded.

“When I was in his suite at the hotel, before we left for the casino, 007 had some sort of attack,” Eve told her, and watched as the older woman paled slightly.

“What kind of attack?”

“His body seemed to spasm, and then he doubled over and collapsed.”

“How long did it last?”

“A few minutes at most, although it seemed longer.”

M nodded. 

“He made me promise not to tell you.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, well, he… he said, that is, I know that you two…” Eve’s voice trailed off, her cheeks flaming in embarrassment.

Olivia took pity on the young woman. “It’s all right, Eve. Yes, James and I are involved.”

Eve sagged in relief. “I don’t think he meant to say anything, but he slipped.”

“I assume while he was in pain?”

The young agent nodded.

“Thank you for telling me, Eve,” Olivia said. “It’s late, why don’t you head home.”

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you.” Moneypenny stood, then made her way to the door. She paused, her hand on the handle, and turned back. “Ma’am. I would also like to say that Bond swore he would tell you about the attack when he returned from his assignment.”

Olivia nodded. “And I am certain he will.”

“Ma’am,” Eve replied softly, then gave Tanner a small smile as she pushed the door open, then left.

Olivia watched her for a moment, then sat back in her chair with a sigh.

“I’m sure 007 is fine, ma’am,” Tanner said, turning to face her. “I don’t know him well, but from our few interactions, I don’t believe he would do anything to jeopardize his future with you. I have never seen a man more in love than he is with you.”

Olivia felt her cheeks heat, and noticed Tanner’s were a little pink as well. “Thank you, Bill. I don’t believe James would deliberately do so either. But he has been known to ignore things like this. Especially when it comes to his health.”

Tanner turned back to his desk when his computer gave an alert. “Ma’am,” he said, a few moments later. “Word from the recovery team. They have picked up 007, and they are on their way back.”

“ETA?”

“Nine hours.”

Olivia glanced at her watch. 

“You have time, ma’am.”

“Time for what?”

“To go home and get some rest,” he answered. “It’s late.”

She nodded. “Yes, it is.”

“And we have the inquiry tomorrow.”

Olivia sighed. “Damn. I was hoping that was just a bad dream.”

“Sorry, ma’am.”

“It’s not your fault,” she said, then allowed a small smile to play on her lips. “Besides, you’ll be there with me.”

Tanner sighed dramatically, which made Olivia chuckle softly. He smiled.

“If you like, ma’am, I can arrange for a room here. I know it’s not ideal, but the quarters in the bunker are not that bad.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to decline, but she found herself nodding. “That would be fine, thank you, Tanner.”

He nodded, then turned back to his desk, and picked up the phone.

As he made the arrangements, Olivia pondered her decision to stay in the bunker.

While she had done so many times over the years, she did not enjoy spending the night at the office; even on the exceptionally comfortable sofa she’d had in her office. However, she realized it was as simple as that she did not relish the idea of sleeping another night in her big bed alone, without James.

“All set, ma’am,” Tanner said, as he retuned the handset to the cradle, then turned in his chair to face her. “If you’re ready, I’ll escort you down.”

Olivia nodded, and got to her feet. She walked over to the corner where a small, black tote bag sat on the floor beneath a garment bag; both of which she kept in her office for such emergencies. She grabbed both.

“Let me carry those for you, ma’am.”

“Thank you.” Olivia handed him the bags.

Tanner slung the strap of the tote bag over his shoulder, then hung the garment bag over his arm. “Shall we?”

Olivia smiled, nodded, then followed Tanner out of her office.

Less than fifteen minutes later, she followed him into a rather non-descript room. 

He turned on the light, then crossed over to the bed, and laid her garment bag across it, placing the tote bag on the floor beside it. He then reached over to turn on the lamp on the night table.

“It’s not much,” Tanner said. “But it does have an ensuite.”

“Good. Thank you, Tanner.”

Tanner nodded, then walked back to the door. “Sleep well, ma’am.”

“You too,” she said, giving him a pointed look.

He smiled. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll be staying on base as well.”

“Good,” Olivia said. “Good night, Bill.”

“Good night, M,” Tanner replied, then left, closing the door behind him.

Olivia walked over to the bed, and picked up the garment bag. She carried it over to the door, and hung it on one of the hooks. She then locked the door, leaned back against it and looked over the room. 

A double bed, a bedside table with a lamp and telephone, and a small desk and chair in the one corner.

No, it wasn’t much, she thought, but it would serve its purpose.

She glanced at her watch again.

Eight hours and forty minutes.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Tanner groaned when the alarm on his mobile went off.

He reached out to grab the device, and turned the alarm off. Feeling sleep tugging at him still, he sat up, and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

With a deep yawn, he stretched, then stood.

Stretching again, he padded barefoot across the room to the bathroom - he’d taken one of the rooms with an ensuite as well.

He checked his phone again.

Forty minutes until the recovery team arrived.

He had time.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

James felt the van come to a stop, then heard the engine stop.

They’d arrived.

He glanced at Silva, still bound and gagged, and noticed the man’s eyes were closed, as if he were sleeping, but James knew better. Sure enough, seconds later, Silva opened his eyes, then seeing James looking at him, smiled around the gag.

James felt a gnawing in the pit of his stomach, but dismissed the feeling; putting it down to hunger after the long trip. After all, he’d not had anything to eat since before he’d left for the casino in Macau.

The doors suddenly opened, saving him thinking on it further.

“We’re secure, sir,” Billings said.

“Very good.” James climbed out of the van, and spotted Tanner standing off to the side. He turned to Billings. “Tanner will direct you from here.”

“Yes, sir.” Billings nodded.

James gave Silva one last look, then walked over to Tanner.

“Good to see you back, 007,” Bill said.

“Thanks, Bill. Good to be back.”

“So you found him?”

“I did.”

He followed Tanner’s gaze as two guards escorted Silva out of the van.

“I understand the restraints, but why the gag?” he asked James.

“The man loves the sound of his own voice. If I’d had to endure listening to him for the entire flight home, I’d have shot him. The gag was the safer option.”

Tanner cracked a smile. He noticed James glancing around.

“She’s resting,” he told her in a quiet voice.

“Oh.”

“Here on base,” Tanner clarified. “It was late, so staying in one of the quarters just made sense.”

“She’s…” James’ voice trailed off, and he found himself looking off in the direction of where he knew the bunker’s quarters to be, as he was filled with a longing to see her.

“Go on, you have time. She’s due to be woken up anyway. And I am certain she would prefer it being you than the phone. Room One.”

James grinned, then clapped Tanner on the shoulder. “Thanks, Bill,” he said, then made his way out of the garage.

Tanner watched him leave, then made a note to grab some breakfast for M. He had a feeling she wouldn’t have time to grab some herself.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

James gazed down at Olivia, sound asleep under the covers.

The moment he’d entered the room, and spotted her in the bed, he’d felt much of the tension in his body melt away.

Christ, he’d missed her.

Unable to resist any longer, he reached out and brushed the backs of his fingers against her temple.

Olivia moaned softly as her eyes drifted open at the soft caress, and she smiled. 

“Hi,” she whispered.

“Hi,” James whispered back, then leaned down to kiss her.

Olivia reached up, and curled her hand around the back of his head, threading her fingers in his hair, as she parted her lips beneath his to deepen the kiss.

They moaned.

“I’ve missed you,” Olivia murmured against his lips before kissing him deeply once more.

When the kiss finally tapered off, James held himself over her, and smiled down at her. “I’ve missed you, too.”

They smiled at each other, then Olivia’s brow furrowed.

“How did you get in here? I locked the door.”

“I picked the lock, of course,” he said, ducking down to brush another kiss to her lips, then sat up. He caught her hand as it fell from the back of his head, and tugged gently.

She sat up, pushed the blankets aside, and allowed him to guide her so that she was sitting on his lap, cradled in his embrace. 

James wrapped his arms around her, then lowered his mouth to hers again.

They exchanged a series of soft, loving kisses before Olivia ended them with a contented sigh, and laid her head on his shoulder, nuzzling his throat.

“I got him.”

“I knew you would,” Olivia replied. “Where is he now?”

“Billings and his team are escorting him to a holding cell under Tanner’s supervision. I also had them gather Silva’s laptop, and --”

“Silva?”

“The name Rodriguez has decided to go by now. Raul Silva.”

“I see.”

“He’s blond now, too.”

“He always was vain,” she remarked. “So you grabbed his computer?”

“Yes. The computer expert on Billings’ team suggested we go back for the other stuff, as it was too big to load onto the choppers, especially with the bodies in the hold as well.”

“Bodies?”

“Silva’s guards and his mistress.”

“Severine, Eve said her name was.”

“Yes.” James nodded. “Rodriguez shot her.”

“You sound upset.” She lifted her head to look at him.

“She didn’t deserve to be shot like that. Yes, she was working for him, but I suspect he gave her very little choice. She was a victim as well in all this.”

“I see.” Olivia paused, then asked, “Was she beautiful?”

“Yes,” James replied.

Olivia felt her stomach drop. “I see,” she murmured, and looked away.

“I did not sleep with her, Olivia,” James told her in a quiet voice.

She turned back to him.

“I did not sleep with her,” he repeated. “That’s not to say she did not try to get me into bed, but I did not take her up on it.”

“Why not?”

He tilted his head, and gave her a tender look. “There’s only one woman’s bed I wish to be in, and that bed is yours,” James told her, reaching up to brush the back of his fingers against her temple. “I love you, Olivia. I have no desire to have sex with another woman; not when I can make love with you.”

“James,” Olivia whispered his name.

“I know you said once you understood and accepted that when on an assignment, there could be a chance I’d have to seduce and/or sleep with a mark,” he said. “But that was forty years ago. Times have changed. You have changed, and truth be told, even when we had that conversation that awful day, I’d realized that I did not want to have sex with anyone but you again. Ever. And I did not spend four decades as an ice cube just to hurt you by doing so now.”

Tears filled her eyes, and she leaned in to kiss him. When the kiss ended, she laid her head on his shoulder again. “I told myself I would be okay with it if you had to sleep with another woman, but I have to admit, the thought of it was both painful and upsetting.”

“I know,” he said. “Which is why once we’ve dealt with Rodriguez, you can take my number.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” He stroked her hip. “I’ve come to the realization in the last few days, that being a Double O does not hold the same appeal, the same thrill, for me that it used to. And I know it’s because I’m just feeling the loss of all the time with you. And I want to concentrate on a life with you now. I don’t want to be running around the world chasing the bad guys. Not anymore.”

Olivia raised her head again. “I would like that. Very much.”

James smiled. “We could buy a boat, sail around the world. Just the two of us.”

“What about our daughter and granddaughter?”

“They can join us for vacations.”

Olivia chuckled. “It’s very tempting. And when all this is over, we’ll discuss it.”

“Sounds fair.”

“Right now, though, I need to take a shower, and get the day started. The Prime Minister’s called for an inquiry, and I’ve been ordered to appear.” 

James frowned. “Because of all this shit with the hard drive?”

Olivia nodded.

“Damned ridiculous.”

“Yes, but sadly, it goes with the job. I’m always under scrutiny, and even more so because I’m a woman.”

“Self-righteous, arse-covering prigs,” James muttered, which caused her to chuckle.

“I could not agree more,” she said, humour still lacing her voice. She tilted her head as she continued to look at him. “Do you want to join me in the shower?”

“I’d love to, and I could sure use one, but I don’t have any clean clothes.”

“I have one of your suits in the garment bag.” She waved absently in the direction of the door. “Thought you might need it when you got back.”

James grinned. “Well, then, yes. I would love to join you.”

Olivia smiled. “All right. Just give me a couple minutes, then join me.”

He nodded. While she enjoyed showering with him, she was not keen on him being in the bathroom with her when she was on the toilet, and James could not blame her. Who did enjoy that?

She brushed a kiss over his lips, then slipped off his lap.

James watched her as she crossed the room and disappeared into the bathroom, then got to his feet, and walked over to the garment bag hanging on the back of the door. He flipped the light on, then reached out to unzip the bag to see which suit of his she’d grabbed.

James smiled when he saw that it was a dark blue one, and that it almost matched the outfit she’d chosen for herself. He took a moment to wonder if she’d done it on purpose, or if it was just coincidence. Knowing Olivia however, it was on purpose.

He heard the toilet flush, followed by the shower coming to life. A smile spread across his face, as he removed his jacket, tossing it on the end of the bed, then began unbuttoning his shirt as he made his way into the bathroom.

Closing the door behind him, he stopped, his fingers pausing on his left cuff-link. Seeing Olivia in the shower, James felt his body respond to the sight, his cock swelling with interest, and quickly removed the rest of his clothes.

Olivia hummed when she felt James’ hands on her hips, then turned to face him. Her eyes widened at the bruises on his chest; the one on his shoulder looking particularly horrid.

“They look worse than they feel. Honest,” James said.

Olivia shook her head, then brushed a light kiss to each of them before she slipped her arms around him.

They drew each other close, and simply held each other under the warm spray of the water.

“It feels so good to hold you,” James murmured. “If we had more time…” He let his words trail off as he slid his hands down to caress her arse.

Olivia laughed softly, and lifted her head.

“I want so much to make love to you,” he told her. “But I am not sure we have time for anything more than a quick fuck.”

She slipped her hand between them, curling her fingers around his cock. “How about both? A quick fuck now, and making love when we’re home tonight.”

James grinned, then ducked his head to kiss her. “Do you have any lube?”

Olivia shook her head, then reached up with her other hand to lay her fingers against his lips to stop his protest. “It’s all right.” She stepped out of his arms, then turned to face the shower wall, bending forward slightly. “Before you woke me, I’d been having a very erotic dream about a certain Double O.”

“Olivia…”

“I’m wet enough, James.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t.”

James reached out to caress the cheeks of her arse, and felt his cock pulse at the thought of taking her this way. “Are you sure?”

“Oh yes,” she said, then gave him a heated look through the steam. “Fuck me, James.”

James held her gaze as he took his cock in hand, and stepped closer. He grasped her hip with his other hand, and guided her back slightly.

Olivia widened her stance, moaning softly when she felt him run the head of his cock down between the cheeks of her arse to her sex.

“All right?”

“Yes.” She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, as he pushed forward, the head of his cock slipping inside her. “Don’t stop!” she told him when he paused.

“I don’t --”

“You’re not. I promise you, you’re not!”

James gripped her hips with both hands, and thrust forward, seating himself fully inside her.

“Oh fuck!” Olivia cried out.

“Olivia?”

“It’s okay. I’m okay. Oh god, James,” she moaned, and pushed back against him.

James withdrew, then thrust back inside her.

“Yes!” Olivia gasped, when he continued to move inside her.

“Fuck, you feel so good,” James told her. “I don’t think I’m going to last long.”

Olivia couldn’t help chuckling, even as the pleasure spread through her body, the intensity growing with every drive of his cock into her. “You can make it up to me tonight.”

“I promise,” James said, leaning down to kiss her shoulder. “I’ll make love to you all night long.”

“Mmm… I’m going to hold you to that.”

James chuckled, then nipped her shoulder and whispered, “Touch yourself. I want you to come with me.”

Olivia slipped her hand between her thighs, and began rubbing her clit.

“So sexy!” James growled, and thrust harder.

She circled her clit firmly; concentrating on the feeling of James’ cock sliding in and out of her, on the sound of his low grunts, and felt her orgasm building. She would not last much longer either.

“Olivia!” 

She could hear the plea in his voice as his fingers dug into her hips.

“Olivia, please. I’m… oh fuck!” he groaned loudly, slamming into her one last time as he came. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” he swore, and began to move frantically again, thrusting into her.

Olivia moaned, feeling him spill inside her, and rubbed furiously at her clit. “James!” she gasped when his fingers suddenly joined hers, the rough pads of his fingers providing the perfect friction. She came seconds later, crying out his name, “James!”

James wrapped an arm around her, and pulled her back against his chest, then crowded her against the wall to steady them both, as he continued to stroke her clit, prolonging the delicious fluttering of her pussy around his cock.

“Oh god,” they moaned together, then laughed softly, as the last tendrils of their orgasms faded away.

James nuzzled her shoulder. “Thank you,” he whispered against her wet skin, then slowly withdrew his softening cock.

Olivia turned to face him, laying her hands on his chest, and smiled up at him. “Welcome home.”

He grinned, then ducked his head to kiss her.

“We should wash up, and get going,” she said when the kiss ended.

James nodded.

Less than twenty minutes later, Olivia stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, fully dressed, as she put the finishing touches on her makeup.

Dropping her lipstick back into the toiletry bag, she gave herself one more look in the mirror. Satisfied with how she looked, she joined James in the bedroom. 

He was sitting on the end of the bed, pulling on his shoes. He looked up when he heard her approach, and smiled.

“I hope that suit’s all right,” she said.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” he replied, then sat up.

Olivia moved to stand in front of him, stepping between his knees. She combed her fingers through his hair, then feathered her fingers over his face. A slight frown came to her face as she traced the fine lines around his eyes.

“What?” he asked, seeing her expression.

“These are new,” she said, tapping the corners of his eyes, before fingering the grey hair at his temples. “And these.”

“Are they?”

“Yes.” Olivia nodded. “Does it have anything to do with the attacks you keep having?”

“Attacks?”

“James.” She shook her head at him. “Don’t.”

James sighed. “Eve told you, did she?”

“Yes.”

“I was planning to tell you.”

She shot him a look.

“Honestly, Olivia. I wasn’t going to keep this from you. I was going to tell you tonight when we got home.”

She looked deep into his eyes, then nodded slowly. She believed him.

“Will you go see Doctor Aiken?”

“Yes. I am hoping he’s found out why this is happening.”

“He knows?”

James nodded.

“And he certified you fit for duty?”

James could hear the anger in her voice, and placed his hands on her hips. “In his defense, I’d only had the one attack.”

“The one I witnessed in the hotel?”

“Yes.”

“How many have you had? The truth.”

He cocked his head thoughtfully. “Three.”

“Three?”

He nodded. “Some twinges now and then, but only the three attacks,” he told her. “I know I should have told you; I just didn’t want to worry you.”

“Oh, James…” she sighed.

“I know. You’re worried anyway.”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry, Olivia.”

“I know.”

“And I promise, I will go see Aiken today. In fact, I will go before I head to the holding cell, on one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“That you hold off going to see Silva until I’m done. I don’t want you alone in there with him.”

“Deal,” Olivia replied, then leaned down to kiss him. 

“So,” James began, when the kiss ended, and she stepped out from between his legs. “Did Eve also tell you she tried seducing me?”

“What?!” She stopped, her hand on the door handle, and looked back at him.

James chuckled. “She did not succeed, but she gave it a good try,” he told her, standing and walking over to her. He opened the door, and gestured for her to go through. “And you were right,” he followed her into the hall, “she’s going to make an excellent Double O.”


	14. Chapter 14

“Good morning, Tanner,” Olivia said, as she walked into her office.

“Morning, M,” Tanner replied. “Did you sleep well?”

“I did, yes.” She crossed over to her desk, and sat down. “And thank you for sending James to wake me. That was a pleasant surprise.” 

“You’re welcome,” Bill said. “I’ve brought you some breakfast. A bagel with cream cheese, and coffee. I didn’t think you’d have time…” His voice trailed off, and he felt his face grow warm.

Olivia’s eyes danced with amusement. “Thank you, Bill. I appreciate it.” She reached for the coffee, which was still steaming, and lifted the mug to her lips. She took a sip and sighed with pleasure. “Is our guest all settled in?”

“Yes, ma’am. He is in the new containment cell Q designed before the explosion in the old building. There are two guards in the room with him, and two guards outside.”

“Very good.”

“The laptop Bond grabbed, as well as the other few items are being scanned for any possibility of being booby-trapped, and will be brought to Q-branch for analysis once they’ve been cleared.”

Olivia took a bite of her bagel, and nodded.

“And the bodies of the men Bond shot, as well as the young woman, have been brought to the morgue. How do you wish to dispose of them?”

Olivia reached for her coffee again. “Cremate the bodies,” she told him, taking another sip of the hot brew.

“Also, Mallory has sent a reminder about the inquiry.”

“Afraid I won’t show, is he?”

“Something like that, yes, ma’am.”

Olivia shook her head.

“What time is that scheduled for?”

“Half past twelve.”

“All right. Let’s see how much work we can get accomplished before we go see our guest.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

James strode into medical, and headed straight for Aiken’s office.

“Good morning, Doctor.”

“James. Welcome home.”

“Thanks.”

“How are you feeling? Anymore attacks?”

“Funny you should ask,” James said. “I experienced two; one far worse than the other.”

Aiken frowned. “I’m not surprised.” At James’ curious look, he continued. “I’ve been analyzing the samples I took from you before you left, and there are some anomalies.”

“What kind of anomalies.”

“I’m seeing an instability in your cells. I’ll need another blood sample,” Aiken told him.

“Of course.” James nodded, and removed his jacket, then began rolling up his shirt sleeve. “Anything to help you figure out what’s happening to me.”

“Good,” Aiken said. “You know the drill, make a fist.”

“Have you spoken to Q yet about any of this?” James asked as Aiken, as he made a fist, and flexed it a few times.

Aiken shook his head. “He’s been too busy setting up his department.”

“No, not the young one. Q,” James said, with emphasis on Geoffrey’s title.

“No. He’s still in the hospital,” Aiken replied, as he checked for an appropriate vein.

“Worth a shot, don’t you think? After all, he’s the one who revived me.”

“But he’s given me all of Doctor Newman’s notes,” Aiken pointed out, reaching for the alcohol wipe. He ripped it open, and wiped it over the vein he’d chosen in James’ arm.

“Knowing Geoffrey as I do, I wouldn’t count on that.”

Aiken chuckled, and picked up the needle. “Ready?”

James nodded, then winced when the needle pierced his skin. Aiken applied the vial, and James watched his blood begin to fill it. The doctor removed the full vial, replacing it with the second one. Once it, too, was full, Aiken removed the vial. He grabbed the small gauze pad, placed it over the needle, then pulled the needle out of James’ arm.

“Put some pressure on it,” Aiken told James.

James held the gauze in place as Aiken labeled the vials, then turned back to him.

“Let me see.” Aiken checked the gauze, then reached for the plaster he had ready on his desk. He removed the gauze, and stuck the plaster in place over the needle site. “I’ll get right to work on those tests.”

“Thank you, Doctor. I appreciate it.”

“I will find out what’s happening to you, James,” Aiken told him. “And I’ll ring Q to see if he knows anything more.”

James nodded, as he rolled his sleeve back down, and buttoned it before reaching for his jacket and slipping it back on. “You’ll let me know once you find something?”

“Of course.”

“I’ll let you get to it, then,” James said, then walked out of Aiken’s office.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“How’s our guest?” James asked Billings as he approached the holding cell.

“Not heard a peep out of him, sir.”

“Good.” James checked his watch. “M should be down shortly.” He looked back up at Billings. “Did you bring the gun?”

“Yes.” Billings reached into his pocket, and pulled out a Walther. In his other hand, he held a couple of spare clips.

James took the gun, and quickly checked it over. Satisfied, and making certain the safety was on, he unbuttoned his jacket, and slipped the gun into his holster. He rebuttoned his jacket, then took the clips and put them in his pocket.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Billings replied, then reached into his pocket again. He held out an earpiece. “A precaution. You never know.”

“Thanks,” James said, slipping it into his pocket with the spare clips.

Billings inclined his head, then stepped over to the keypad on the frosted glass. He withdrew a key card from his pocket, swiped it, then keyed in a security code.

The frost in the glass seemed to clear, allowing James to see inside the isolation room.

It was a large room, and in the middle of it, at the end of a line of grating in the floor was what James could describe as a hexagonal glass cage. In the middle of the cage was a lone seat on which Silva sat. Wearing a god-awful beige jumpsuit, he sat with his ankles crossed, hands folded on his lap, and was staring up at the ceiling as if he had no cares in the world.

The door to the room slid open, and James walked inside. He saw Silva’s eyes dart his way, but otherwise, the man did not move. He moved off to the side to wait for Olivia to arrive, and continued to watch Silva. Behind him, he heard the door close, and glanced back to see the glass grow opaque once more.

He was alone with Silva. 

Alone with Rodriguez.

Alone with the man who was out to hurt the woman he loved.

He’d been hurting her, trying to destroy everything she had worked for throughout her career. And, James realized, it was all because Olivia had spurned his advances.

James shook his head.

It was, in a word, ridiculous.

And he vowed, in that moment, that he would kill Silva before he let him hurt Olivia any further.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Olivia walked briskly, Tanner at her side, passing MI6 employees hard at work. She caught a few glances, acknowledging them with brief nods, but did not stop.

She rounded a corner, and saw Agent Billings waiting.

“All right,” Olivia said, as she approached the tall agent, “time to say hello.”

Billings removed his key card, then stepped over to the keypad, as Olivia positioned herself in front of the door.

Seconds later, the glass cleared, and she got her first look of Rodriguez.

The door slid open, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw James look her way, but her attention was focussed on the man in the glass cage. She waited, just outside the room for a moment, watching as he lowered his head, then turned in her direction.

She walked slowly into the room, then.

Behind her, Tanner glanced at Billings, who followed them inside, the door sliding closed behind them.

“You’re smaller than I remember!” her former agent said, with a taunting smile on his face, as she approached. “And older.”

“Whereas I barely remember you at all,” she replied, stopping several feet from the cage.

“Strange. For me, it feels just like yesterday.” He turned on his seat to face her. “Are you surprised?”

“Not particularly. But then you always were a slippery one.”

“Maybe that’s why you liked me so much.” He looked over at James. “She really did like me, you know. If I’d had just a little more time, I would have seduced her into my bed.”

“You flatter yourself,” Olivia said sharply.

A mock pained expression filled his face. “No remorse,” he sighed. “Just as I had imagined.”

“Regret is unprofessional,” Olivia replied nonchalantly. 

Silva stared at her, then began to laugh. A harsh, mocking laugh. “Regret is unprofessional? Do you know that they kept me for five months in a room with no air? They tortured me. But I protected your secrets. I protected you. And they made me suffer, and suffer.” He paused. “And suffer. Until I realized that it was you who betrayed me.”

Olivia felt James’ eyes on her.

“You betrayed me. So, I had only one thing left. My cyanide capsule in my back left molar. You remember, right?” He looked at James. “You had one, too, did you not, James? We all had one.” He turned his attention back to Olivia. “I told myself I would die for you. Die for you, and prove to you my feelings were real.”

He stopped again, and stared at her. Olivia looked at him steadily without flinching.

After a few moments, he looked away. “So, I broke the tooth and bit into the capsule.” He grimaced. “It burned all my insides, but I didn’t die.” A slow, maniacal smile came to his face. “Life clung to me like a disease. And then,” he slipped off the seat, and knelt at the glass of the cage, facing her, “I understood why I had survived. You. You were keeping me alive. What else could it be? You loved me after all, and it was that love that was keeping me alive.”

He was still infatuated with her.

Olivia felt nauseated.

“And that I needed to look in your eyes one last time.”

“Well, I hope it was worth it,” she replied dryly.

He nodded, smiling at her once again. 

She’d seen enough, Olivia thought. “Mr. Silva, you will be taken to Belmarsh Prison where you’ll be remanded into custody until the Crown Prosecution Service deem you fit to stand trial for --”

Silva stood suddenly. “Say my name! Say it!” he said. “My real name. I know you remember it, mommy.”

“Your name is on the memorial wall of the very building you attacked. I will have it struck off,” she told him, allowing some of her anger into her voice. “Soon your past will be as nonexistent as your future.” She drove in the final nail. “I’ll never see you again.”

She turned away, and walked to the door, James following her.

Billings swiped his card to open it.

“Do you know what it does to you?” Silva called out just as she stepped out of the room.

Olivia turned back, as did James and Tanner.

“Hydrogen cyanide?” 

Olivia watched as he reached into his mouth, kneeling as he did so, and removed a dental appliance. She fought to keep from grimacing as the left side of his face caved in on itself.

“Look upon your work,” he paused for effect. “Mother.”

She stared for a moment longer, then turned without a word, and walked away.

Tanner followed.

James glanced at Silva, a cold look in his eyes, then walked out of the isolation room.

He had no pity for the man.

James heard the door slide back into place, and did not have to look back to know the glass had grown opaque. He trusted Billings to keep Silva secure, and quickened his pace to catch up with Olivia.

She was waiting for him.

“Are you all right,” he asked. He’d seen the look on her face when Silva had removed the plate, revealing his disfigurement, and he knew it had affected her.

“Yes.” Olivia nodded. “I’ll admit to being startled. I wasn’t expecting that.”

“I don’t think any of us were.”

“Who is he, M?” Tanner asked. 

“His name is Tiago Rodriguez. He worked for me in Hong Kong, and was a brilliant agent. But he started operating beyond his brief, hacking the Chinese. They were on to him. I gave him up with the handover, and got six agents in return and the handover went smoothly.”

“I see,” Tanner said. “And from what I gathered in there, he developed a crush on you.”

“Something like that, yes.”

“James.” Olivia looked at him. “I know you’re still not used to computers, but I want you to work with Q to find out what’s on that laptop you brought back. See if there is anything you can recover. Has he transmitted the lists? If so, to whom? I want this resolved,” she told him.

James nodded. “Of course. I’ll do my best.”

“I know you will.”

There was a soft beep from Tanner’s watch. “We should go, ma’am. Board of Inquiry begins in thirty minutes.”

“I want to know what’s on that computer, James.”

“We’ll find it, M,” James promised.

She gave him a small smile, then followed Tanner through the doors.

James watched her go, then turned, and headed for Q Branch.

He would not disappoint her.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

James walked into Q branch, and made his way directly toward the messy-haired young man hunched over Silva’s computer.

Adam looked up just as James reached his work station. “007.”

“Q.”

Adam smiled. “You’re just in time.”

“Not sure how much I’ll be able to help,” James admitted. “Computers are not my area of expertise.”

“It’s all right. Sometimes just another set of eyes can help,” Adam told him. “Now, looking at Silva’s computer, it seems to me he’s done a number of slightly unusual things.” He turned to face the large screens behind him. “He’s established failsafe protocols to wipe the memory,” he looked down at his own work computer, “if there’s any attempt to access certain files. Only six people in the world could program safeguards like that.”

“Of course there are,” James said, sarcasm colouring his voice. “Can you get past them?”

“I invented them,” Adam replied with a hint of arrogance, turning back to Silva’s computer.

James rolled his eyes.

“Right then,” Adam began, picking up one of three cords. “Let’s get this plugged in so we can see it on the big screens.”

“Are you sure it’s wise to plug a rogue computer into Six’s system?” James asked.

“We have a state of the art security system in place for instances like this,” Adam replied, as he plugged the USB cables into Silva’s computer. “Let’s see what you’ve got for us, Mr. Silva.”

James watched Adam press a few keys on the computer, and seconds later, the screen on the laptop flickered, as did the large ones behind Adam.

“We’re in.” Adam grinned.

“Sir,” a voice called out, “what do you make of this?”

Adam and James turned to look at the large screens, as a graphic appeared.

“It’s his Omega site,” Adam said. “Most encrypted level he has.”

James stared at the monitor, watching as the graphic seemed to morph before his eyes.

“Looks like obfuscated code to conceal its true purpose,” Adam continued, then returned his attention to his own laptop. “Security through obscurity.”

James moved to stand in front of the large monitor. Something about the graphic was calling to him.

“He’s using a polymorphic engine to mutate the code,” Adam said. “Whenever I try to gain access, it changes. It’s like solving a Rubik’s cube that’s fighting back.”

“A Rubik’s what?” James asked.

“Never mind,” Adam replied, as he continued to type away on his keyboard, working to break past the changing code.”

James watched the graphic change again, and something caught his eye. “Stop. Go in on that,” he pointed to the screen where a series of letters and numbers were highlighted.

Adam pressed a few keys, and the screen zoomed in on the particular series James indicated.

“Granborough,” James murmured. “Granborough Road. It’s an old Tube station on the Metropolitan Line. Been closed for years.”

“I think I can use that as a key,” Adam said, as his fingers flew over the keys.

A few moments later, the graphic changed again, going from white to red, then becoming…

“Oh, look, it’s a map!”

“It’s London. Subterranean London,” James remarked.

The doors in the grating down the centre of the room suddenly opened.

“What’s going on?” Adam asked, looking back over his shoulder. “Why are the doors open?”

James looked at the doors, then toward the back wall.

Shit! James swore as he realized, and bolted. 

An alarm on the computer began beeping.

Adam looked up at the wall screen.

SYSTEM SECURITY BREACH

“Oh, no!” Adam muttered as the words appeared. He turned sharply to look at the people working in his department. “Can someone tell me how the hell he got into our system?”

His attention was drawn to Silva’s computer. The graphic on the screen changed to an ornate laughing skull.

NOT SUCH A CLEVER BOY

The screen taunted him.

“Oh shit!” Adam swore, then launched himself at the laptop. “Oh, shit, shit, shit!” He yanked the USB cords out of the computer, then felt his face heat as he registered the stares of his staff. “He hacked us.”

I should have listened to Bond, he thought sadly.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

James ran through the bunker, fearing the worst.

As he got closer to isolation, he heard the alarms.

“Oh no,” James said, as he rounded the corner just outside the cell, and saw one of the guards on the floor, unconscious. He slipped the earpiece Billings had given him earlier out of his pocket, and put it in his ear as he entered the room. 

Like the other agent, Billings was unconscious as well.

At least, he hoped they were both just unconscious. He did not have time to check.

“Q,” James said. “He’s gone.”

He walked further into the room, then hurried over to where he noticed a section of the grating that seemed to run throughout the bunker, had been moved. Crouching down, James saw a ladder, and without hesitation, he slipped over the side, and began climbing down.

“I’m in a stairwell below isolation,” he said. “Do you read me, Q?”

_“I can hear you. I’m looking for you.”_

Reaching the bottom of the ladder, James found himself in what he realized was an old tube station.

_“Got you!”_

Q’s voice sounded in his ear again, as he climbed down another ladder. 

_“Tracking your location. Just keep moving forward. Enter the next service door on your right._

James reached inside his jacket, and removed his gun from the holster. He unlocked the safety, then held his gun at the ready as he proceeded. Seconds later, he found the door Q mentioned. He opened it, then stepped through, and found himself in a lighted tube tunnel.

_“If you’re through that door, you should be in the Tube.”_

“I’m in the Tube.” James glanced around, then spotting some dusty footprints, he followed them.

_“Bond, this isn’t an escape. This was years in the planning,”_ Q told him. _“He wanted us to capture him, he wanted us to access his computer. It was all planned.”_

No shit, James thought.

_“Blowing up HQ. Knowing the emergency protocols. Knowing we’d retreat down here.”_

“I’ve got all that. It’s what he’s got planned next that worries me,” James replied, still walking along the tunnel.

_“District Line is the closest. There should be a service door on your left.”_

“Got it.” He grabbed the handle, but the door wouldn’t move. He tried again. “It won’t open.”

_“Of course it will. Put your back into it.”_

“Why don’t you come down here, and put your back into it.”

He put his shoulder to the door, and tried again. To no avail.

“No, it’s stuck,” James told him, then a sound caught his attention. “Oh good. There’s a train coming.”

_“Hmm… that’s vexing.”_

I’m going to kill him, James thought, as he rammed the door with his body.

Finally, realizing there was no other way, James took aim with his gun, and fired three shots at the lock.

He threw his body against the door again just as the train raced by, and thankfully found himself in another room.

“I’m through.”

_“Told you. We’ve alerted security. Police are on their way.”_

James frowned. 

“Do they even know what he looks like?” 

_“We’ve sent them a photo taken when Silva was in custody. And he is wearing that hideous jumpsuit, so he’ll stick out.”_

“He won’t be wearing it long,” James muttered, then pushed himself away from the door, and hurried along the tunnel.

That gnawing feeling he’d had earlier returned.

Several minutes later, he came to a set of slatted doors. 

He paused.

Cocking his head, he listened carefully to the sounds on the other side, and determined he was hearing lots of foot traffic.

He was in a Tube station.

Realizing that the longer he remained standing there, the further away Silva would get, James holstered his gun, then pushed the door open, and slipped into the crowd. He moved along with the people heading for the train platform.

He firmly pushed his way through the crowd, reaching the platform as one of the trains arrived.

_“Where are you now?”_

“Temple Tube Station,” James replied. “Along with half of London.”

_“Oh, I see you! There you are.”_

“I know where I am, Q. Where’s he?”

_“Give us a second. I’m looking.”_

James slipped through the open doors onto one of the cars, and looked around. Not seeing Silva, he stepped back out onto the platform.

“There’s too many people. I can’t see him.”

James knew he was there, though. He could feel it.

_“Welcome to rush hour on the tube. Not something you’d know much about.”_

“Not for the last forty years at least. Ice lolly, remember, Q?”

_“Right. Sorry.”_

“The train’s leaving,” James said. “I’m getting on.”

_“Don’t. I’m not sure he’s on it.”_

“Where else would he be, Q?” James responded, as he entered one of the cars seconds before the doors slid shut.

_“Good point.”_

“But keep looking!” James ordered, as he began moving toward the front of the train, leaving the car he was on for the next one.

_“Where are you?_ He heard Q muttering. 

“Any luck?”

_“I’m checking the cameras, and…”_ His voice trailed off.

“Q?”

_“Found him! He is on the train, Bond,”_ Q told him. _“He’s in disguise, dressed a police officer.”_

“Of course he is.” James shook his head, as he continued moving forward.

_“Where’s he going? Where’s he going?”_

The same question kept running through James’ mind.

He stopped suddenly and looked up at the Tube map.

Fuck!

His heart plummeted into his stomach.

“He’s going after M,” James told Q. “Tell Tanner to get her out of there. Right now!”

_“On it.”_

With new determination, James resumed his search for Silva, winding his way through the throng of passengers. He could feel the train beginning to slow as it came up to the next station, and that’s when he spotted Silva.

He was in the next car.

James stopped next to the doors.

Their eyes met through the windows.

Silva smirked at him.

The train came to a stop, and seconds later, the doors slid open.

Both men bolted out onto the platform.

“Move! Move!” James yelled, pushing people out of his way, as he chased Silva off the platform, down the corridor to the escalators.

Silva jumped, landing on the smooth steel section between the two sets of moving stairs, and slid down them.

James followed.

Reaching the bottom, the heel of Silva’s shoe caught the edge, and he tumbled off, landing face first on the floor. He scrambled to his feet, then continued running.

James reached the bottom moments later. He flew off, and landed on his feet, then took off after Silva. A few minutes later, he followed Silva onto the main floor of the Tube station.

It was teeming with people, and much to James’ frustration, a large number of police officers.

He lost sight of Silva in the sea of uniforms.

Looking around, he spotted an open utility door.

He hesitated a moment, but something in his gut told him that’s where Silva had disappeared. He quickly crossed over to it, and slipped inside. Removing his gun from his holster, he proceeded carefully, but quickly, down the dimly lit corridor he found himself in.

He walked down a short flight of stairs, and came to a darkened section of the corridor. Spotting a switch panel on the wall next to him, he flipped the first switch, turning on the lights closest to him. He flipped the second one, and the lights at the far end came on.

James caught sight of the back of Silva as he disappeared from view, and took off after him.

He found himself in a cavernous room, which he quickly realized was an old unused section of the London underground. And at the end of the extensive room was Silva; a little more than halfway up an access ladder.

James fired his gun. Several shots dinged off the metal ladder.

Silva stopped.

“I won’t miss next time, Silva.”

“Not bad. Not bad, James, for an old man.”

“Thank you,” James replied, as he slowly approached the ladder.

“You caught me,” Silva said, smiling down at him. “Now, here’s your prize. The latest thing from my local toy store. It’s called radio.” He pressed the button on the walkie-talkie on his shoulder.

The ceiling behind James exploded; cement, dust, and electrical sparks rained down. He stumbled as the floor beneath his feet shook.

When the debris stopped falling, he looked back to find a large hole in the ceiling, then turned back Silva.

“Whew!” Silva crowed with delight.

“I do hope that wasn’t for me.”

Silva chuckled. “No. No.” He grew serious, and looked pointedly at the hole. “But that is.”

James spun around as the sound of an approaching train reached his ears.

His eyes grew wide.

“Shit!” he swore, then dove out of the way as the train crashed through the hole, and careened down into the room.

With thunderous screeches, car after car fell from the ceiling. The train skidded along the floor, running as it were still on its tracks, crashing through walls until it slowed, then finally came to a stop.

James climbed to his feet, and looked around at the mess. 

Silva, he realized, was gone.

“Olivia,” James whispered to himself, then holstered his weapon, and looked for a way out.

Ten minutes later, James ran up the stairs from Westminster Station, and out onto Parliament Street.

Traffic was backed up, police cars everywhere, and people were milling about along with the police officers, paramedics, and the emergency services.

James looked around, and after determining just where he was, he took off, running along the pavement, between the cars.

Hang on, Olivia!

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“It’s a bloody circus!” Olivia muttered to Tanner.

“Yes, ma’am,” Tanner agreed, glancing around the hearing room at the people milling around.

There were even cameras set up, for Pity’s sake, Tanner thought.

“This is ridiculous,” he said.

“You won’t find me arguing with you, Tanner,” Olivia replied.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, if I might have order?” Minister Dowar called out. “I’d like to begin the proceedings.”

Everyone moved to their seats, and the voices grew silent.

“We’re gathered today to address important issues concerning the future of our national security,” Dowar said, then looked at Olivia. “As head of MI6, you’ve been requested to appear before this committee to answer our questions.”

The inquisition began; several of the ministers at the table asking her pointed questions.

“So you believe your stewardship of MI6 during the recent crisis has been up to scratch?” a middle-aged, bald black man named Howard Dayton asked.

“Well, I believe we have apprehended the responsible party, and are taking all necessary steps to ensure that the sensitive information is contained,” Olivia replied.

“Oh, so it’s a job well done,” Dowar remarked sarcastically, not even bothering to look up from her notes. 

“I’m not saying it’s gone perfectly, but --”

“You’ll forgive me for not putting up the bunting,” Dowar cut her off. She raised her head, and looked at Olivia. “I find it rather difficult to overlook the monumental security breaches and dead operatives for which you are almost single-handedly responsible.”

Olivia’s face hardened.

She was tired of listening to people, especially ones who were young enough to be her children, questioning her methods and telling her she’d been doing her job wrong, and had, essentially fucked everything up. 

“You’ve overlooked, or chosen to ignore, hard evidence and consistently, almost obstinately relied…”

“Silva’s escaped,” Tanner told her in a voice just above a whisper, as Dowar continued to speak. “Bond’s in pursuit. We need to get you to a secure location immediately, ma’am.”

“I’ll be damned if I’m going to show her my back,” Olivia replied quietly, tilting her head to look at him.

“Are we straining your attention?”

Olivia turned back. “No. Please, Minister, proceed.”

“It’s as if you insist on pretending we still live in a golden age of espionage,” the minister said, “where human intelligence was the only resource available. Well, I find this rather old-fashioned belief demonstrates a reckless disregard for --”

“Excuse me, Minister, I don’t mean to interrupt,” Mallory interrupted Dowar, “but just for the sake of variety, might we actually hear from the witness?” He nodded toward Olivia.

“Of course,” Dowar replied.

“Thank you,” Olivia said, glancing at Mallory.

Beside her, she heard Tanner shift in his seat, and glance at his computer again. She knew he was concerned about Silva’s escape; concerned that he would be coming after her. She was concerned about that possibility as well, but she was not leaving the inquiry until she’d had her say.

“Chairman, Ministers,” Olivia began. “Today I’ve repeatedly heard how irrelevant my department has become. Why do we need agents? The Double O section? Isn’t it all rather quaint? Well I suppose I see a different world than you do. And the truth is that what I see frightens me. I’m frightened because our enemies are no longer known to us. They do not exist on a map. They’re not nations. They’re individuals. Look around you. Who do you fear? Can you see a face? A uniform? A flag? No. Our world is not more transparent now. It’s more opaque. It’s in the shadows.” She glanced at Mallory. “That’s where we must do battle. So, before you declare us irrelevant, ask yourselves, how safe do you feel?”

She looked down at the files on the table in front of her, closed the top file, then stopped and looked back at the panel of ministers.

“I’ve just one more thing to say,” Olivia said. “My ex husband is a lover of poetry, and I suppose some of it sunk in, despite my best intentions. And here today I remember this, I think from Tennyson: ‘We are not now that strength, which in old days Moved earth and heaven; That which we are, we are; One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will. To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”

As she spoke the last words, the doors to the inquiry room burst open.

Olivia spun around in her seat just as Silva, dressed as a police officer, strode inside, and raised his gun. Two other faux officers followed him into the room.

One unfortunate man sitting behind her stood.

Silva shot him.

Olivia quickly got to her feet just as one of the guards to her left pulled his gun from his holster.

Silva shot him before he could get a shot off.

More shots were fired, the men who had followed Silva into the room, shooting two more of the guards as they rushed them. Several people screamed, and scrambled out of the way.

Silva trained his gun on her.

Olivia did not flinch, did not blink.

She could see the moment he was going to pull the trigger.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and was pulled out of the way just as he fired the gun.

Olivia heard Mallory grunt in pain as the bullet caught him in the shoulder, knocking him off his feet. The next thing she knew, Tanner was forcing her into a crouch, and shielding her with his body as he guided her around the table and down onto the floor.

Chaos erupted.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

James ran as if his life depended on it.

And, he realized, it did.

If something happened to Olivia… James pushed the thought aside as he rounded the corner on the road leading to the Cabinet Office, to where the inquiry was being held.

As he drew closer to the building, something told him to move faster. With an extra burst of speed he didn’t know he still had in him, James quickened his pace, and a few moments later entered the building through a side door.

He heard gunshots, and felt his panic rise.

Removing his gun from the holster, he made his way through the corridors until he reached a side door.

James kicked the door open, frowning when he saw one of the guards shot.

He spotted Olivia, and felt relief flood his body when she glanced over at him.

She and Tanner were crouched down in front of the desk as gunshots continued to rain around them; Mallory squatted down with them.

James stepped into the room, using the doorway as a shield, and fired a couple shots to where Silva was crouched down between the benches. He ducked back into the hall when Silva fired back.

He saw Eve crouched down a few feet away from him, then followed her gaze to a gun laying on the floor near his feet. He kicked it over to her. She grabbed it, then moved to fire it at Silva and his men.

James fired a few more shots, and out of the corner of his eye he saw another guard get hit with a bullet and fall to the floor, then saw Mallory scramble away from his hiding spot. He fired several shots into the gallery, giving Mallory some cover to pick up the wounded guard’s gun.

Mallory fired several shots as he took up position in the doorway opposite to James, then fired the gun a few more times, hitting one of Silva’s men.

James darted into the room again, squeezing off a few more rounds, before ducking back into the doorway again.

He frowned.

They needed some cover.

Looking over at Mallory, he got an idea.

He raised his gun, then winked at the man and pulled the trigger.

The bullet hit the fire extinguisher on the wall less than three feet from Mallory, and the carbon dioxide inside billowed out in a large gaseous cloud.

James then repeated the action with the fire extinguisher closer to him.

The white mist blew across the front of the gallery giving James the very cover he wanted, and he strode into the room, firing through the cloud into the gallery, stopping once he was standing in front of Olivia and Tanner.

Numerous shots were fired in his direction through the carbon dioxide cloud, followed by a brief silence, then another shot.

“Get her out of here, Bill!” James ordered, squeezing off a few more shots.

Tanner helped Olivia to her feet, and the two of them moved in Mallory’s direction. He opened the door as they reached him, and they hurried through.

Once they were clear, James walked around the table, then followed after Silva. He made it outside just in time to see Silva getting into a police vehicle and drive away. 

He swore under his breath, then noticed Olivia’s car parked on the street. 

James suddenly got an idea. 

He was tired of chasing after Silva.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“This way, ma’am.”

Olivia allowed Tanner to guide her through the hallway to the side entrance they’d used when they arrived for the inquiry.

When they reached it, Tanner lead her out onto the pavement, and over to her car. He opened the door for her, and she slid inside.

The moment he shut the door, the car sped off.

“James!” Olivia gasped with relief. “Are you kidnapping me?”

“That would be one way of looking at it,” he replied, then met her gaze in the rear-view mirror. “Are you hurt?”

“No,” Olivia replied, then said sadly, “Too many people are dying because of me.”

“Not because of you. Because of him,” James told her. “If he wants you, he’ll have to come and get you. We’ve been one step behind Silva from the start. It’s time to get out in front, change the game.”

“And I’m to be the bait?”

“Something like that.”

Olivia nodded after a few moments. “All right. But just us. No one else.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He reached up to activate his earpiece. “Q, I need help.”

_“I’m tracking the car. Where are you going?”_

“You’re tracking the car?”

_“Yes.”_

James frowned at that piece of information. “I’ve got M. We’re about to disappear.”

_“What?”_

“I need you to work some of your computer magic and lay a trail of breadcrumbs impossible to follow for anyone except Silva. Think you can do it?”

_“I’m guessing this isn’t strictly official.”_

“Of course it is,” James replied.

_“Why don’t I believe you?”_

“I haven’t the foggiest idea. Look, can you do it?”

_“Of course I can.”_

“Good.”

_“So, where are these breadcrumbs to lead Silva?”_

James quickly told Q what he wanted him to do, then deactivated the comm.

“We need to find another vehicle. One that doesn’t have a tracker,” James said, glancing at Olivia in the mirror again.

“I have an idea.”


	15. Chapter 15

“Turn right here.”

James did as he was told and pulled into… “A storage facility?”

“Yes.”

“We’re going to find a car here?”

In the back seat, Olivia smiled. “Yes,” she replied, then directed him further.

“Stop here,” she told him five minutes later.

James parked the car, then peered through the windscreen. “Are you sure about this?”

“Very,” Olivia replied, as she unbuckled her seat belt.

James turned the engine off, removed his seat belt, then opened the door and got out of the car. He hurried around to open the door for her.

Olivia placed her hand in his, and allowed him to help her out. “This way,” she said, then walked toward one of the large doors.

James followed behind, his curiosity piqued. “We’re not hiding in there, if that’s your brilliant plan.”

Olivia simply smiled, then held her hand out to him, a key pinched between her fingers. “Open it.”

He took the key.

“Go on,” Olivia told him, giving him a gentle push, then followed him as he walked over to the large door.

She stood next to him as he unlocked the door, then pushed it open. She reached past him to turn on the light.

“Oh my god!” James gasped, then looked at her, his eyes wide with surprise. “Olivia?”

Olivia smiled up at him.

James looked back inside the storage unit.

“The Aston. You kept my Aston?” he whispered.

Olivia slipped her arm around his waist. “Of course I kept it. I knew how much you loved that car, and I couldn’t bear to part with it.”

“Does she run?”

“Yes. I’ve taken very good care of her,” she told him, dropping her arm from his waist to grasp his hand. She tugged him with her as she walked into the unit. “Except for my time in Hong Kong, I’ve taken her out for a short drive each year. I’ve also had her in to a mechanic just to make certain everything’s all right.”

“I’m sure your guards enjoyed the ride.”

Olivia grinned up at him. “Oh, I did not bring them along.”

“You ditched your guards?”

“I did.”

James laughed. “Why am I not surprised?”

“Because you’re a smart man,” Olivia replied with a soft chuckle. She slipped her hand into her jacket pocket as they reached the side of the car, and pulled out a small set of keys attached to a keychain.

James took them from her, and looked down at the keychain. “007?”

“Yes.”

He smiled, then turned her to face him. He reached up with his free hand, and brushed the backs of his fingers against his temple.

He’d come so close to losing her today.

“I was so afraid I wouldn’t get to the inquiry on time,” he said in a low voice.

“But you did,” she whispered. “I knew you would. Even when Silva was holding his gun on me, I knew you would be there.”

James slipped his fingers into her hair as he lowered his head. He feathered his lips over hers, then gently nipped her bottom lip before slipping his tongue into her mouth to deepen the kiss. Olivia wrapped her arms around him, clenching the back of his jacket as she responded to his oral assault.

The kiss lasted for several minutes before tapering off, and James gathered her close.

They held each other tight.

“Are you sure going to Skyfall is our best option?” she asked him.

“Yes. We need to get out of London. Skyfall is remote and isolated which will work in our favour.”

Olivia nodded against his chest, then raised her head. “Then we had better get going. It’s a long drive.”

“You realize the Aston’s not exactly an inconspicuous vehicle?”

Olivia shrugged. “Yes. But it has some features that might come in handy when we get to Skyfall.”

“True,” James agreed. “All right.” He ducked his head to kiss her again, then stepped out of her arms seconds later, and moved around her to open the passenger door.

Olivia climbed into the car, and once she was settled, James shut the door, then hurried over to the driver’s side, and got in.

James put the key in the ignition, stepped on the clutch, then turned the key.

He couldn’t help the grin that came to his face when the Aston came to life.

“I know. You love this car.”

James nodded, and Olivia chuckled.

He turned the headlights on.

“Ready?”

“Yes.”

He shifted into first, then pulled out of the storage unit, and a few seconds later was on the road.

It did not take long before they were driving through the streets of London, heading for the highway that would take them to Skyfall.

“I’d forgotten how uncomfortable the passenger seat was.”

James flipped open the knob on the gear stick, and his thumb hovered over the red button inside. “Are you going to complain the whole way?”

“Oh, go on then, eject me. See if I care,” she retorted.

James grinned, then snapped the lid closed.

She’d said the same thing to him forty years ago when they’d gone in their first ride in the Aston.

Olivia reached out to cover his hand with hers, and smiled at him when he glanced at her. She remembered, too.

Their fingers laced together.

“Feels like we’re going back in time,” Olivia said softly.

“We are. But it’s somewhere we’ll have the advantage,” James replied.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“I’m still not certain I should be doing this.”

Tanner barely suppressed a sigh. “Yes, you should be.”

“But --”

“You were given an order from M.”

“I was given an order from 007.”

“Who is with M, and likewise following orders,” Tanner told the young Quartermaster, then lifted his bottle of water to his lips and took a drink as he stared at the wall screen, and listened to Q type away on his computer.

When M’s car had taken off the moment she was inside, before he could get in, he’d started to panic, thinking it was Silva. But then Richards had appeared at his side, and explained that James had taken the keys, and that he was driving the car.

Relief had flooded through Tanner’s body at Richards’ words. It meant M was safe. Well, he amended, as safe as she could be under the circumstances.

And with James, Tanner’s thoughts continued. He knew that, more than anything, was what she wanted, especially when he’d finally made it back to Six, and Q had told him what Bond had asked him to do.

Q’s voice broke into his thoughts. “It’s a fine line. Make the breadcrumb too small and he might miss it. Too big and Silva will smell a rat.”

“But do you think even Silva will able to spot that?” Tanner asked, staring at the map of the UK on the screen.

“He’s the only one who could,” Q replied.

Bill turned to face the younger man, and discovered Mallory standing behind them.

Mallory’s left shirt sleeve had been cut away, and his arm was cradled in a sling after having been treated for the bullet wound he’d sustained when he’d tried to get M out of the line of fire.

Tanner hadn’t been certain what to make of Mallory before today, but now, after he’d saved M’s life, Tanner found himself considering the man in a new light.

“Sir,” he said, acknowledging the other man, and alerting Q to his presence.

Q spun around.

“What are you doing?” Mallory asked, in a tired sounding voice.

“We’re just… monitoring --” Q began.

Mallory cut him off. “Creating a false tracking signal for Silva to follow.”

“Well, sir, uhm…” Tanner began.

“Well, no,” Q said at the same time.

“Excellent thinking,” Mallory told them, interrupting both men. “Get him isolated. Send him on the A9. It’s the direct route. You can monitor his progress more accurately and confirm it with the traffic cameras.”

“But what if the PM finds out?” Q asked.

Behind him, Tanner rolled his eyes.

Mallory smothered a smirk at Tanner’s response. “Then we’re all buggered,” he answered Q. “Carry on.”

He gave Tanner another glance, then turned and walked away.

Tanner watched Mallory’s retreating form, as Q turned back to his computer. “Keep working,” Tanner told him, then followed after Mallory.

“Sir,” he called out, catching Mallory before he reached the end of the hall.

“Yes, Mr. Tanner?”

“I just wanted to thank you,” Bill said. “For what you did for M.”

“It was nothing.” Mallory shook his head.

“I beg to differ, sir,” Bill told him. “You saved her life. That was very brave of you.”

Mallory’s rigid stance softened. “I could not stand by and do nothing. I’ve grown quite fond of her.”

Bill smiled. “So have I.”

A small smile graced Mallory’s face, before he reached up to smother a yawn behind his hand. “Forgive me,” he said. “It’s been a long day.”

“For all of us.” Bill nodded in agreement. “You’re welcome to stay here. The quarters are not too bad, and quite comfortable.”

Mallory looked thoughtful. “Thank you, Mr. Tanner. I think I’ll take you up on that.”

“If you’ll come back to Q Branch with me, I’ll make the arrangements,” Tanner said.

Mallory nodded, and the two men made their way back to Q branch.

As they walked in, Bill’s mobile rang. “Excuse me a moment,” he said, pulling the device from his pocket. Glancing at the name, he looked at Mallory. “I need to take this,” he said, then walked away as he answered the call. “Hello, Amanda.”

_“Bill! I just heard what happened. Mum? Is… is she all right?”_

“Yes. She’s fine. She’s with your father.”

_“My… he’s back?”_

“Yes. Early this morning.”

_“Where are they?”_

“I can’t tell you that,” Bill said. “Just know that they are both all right.”

_“Does this mean we can leave the safe house?”_

“Not yet. But it shouldn’t be too much longer.”

Amanda sighed.

“Soon, Amanda.”

_“All right. Thank you, Bill. If you speak to mum or my dad, please tell them…”_ She paused. _“Tell them I love them.”_

“I will.”

The call disconnected.

“M’s daughter?”

Tanner looked up at Mallory and nodded. “She’s worried about her parents.”

“Parents?” Mallory’s eyes grew wide. “Bond and M are her parents?”

“Yes.”

He shook his head and smiled. “Well that answers that,” he muttered.

“Answers what?” Tanner asked.

“The other day I asked M about Bond; if he was more than an old co-worker. She said he was, but did not elaborate. This explains it. It also explains why M trusts him so implicitly.”

Tanner nodded. “Now, let me go make that call, and arrange those quarters for you.”

“Thank you, Mr. Tanner,” Mallory replied, watching Bill appreciatively as he walked away.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Are you all right?”

Olivia turned from her contemplation of the passing scenery at James’ softly asked question. “Yes,” she nodded. “A little tired perhaps.”

“Understandable.”

“What about you? How are you holding up? Do you need a break?”

“I’m okay.”

“You sure? You don’t need to stop to stretch your legs, or take a nap?”

“Yes,” James replied, then glanced her, a small smirk curling the corner of his mouth. “You just want to drive.”

Olivia chuckled softly. “Of course I do.”

James reached out for her hand, which she gladly placed in his. He lifted her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles. “I promise you, if I start to feel heavy eyed, I’ll pull over and we can switch places.”

She squeezed his hand. “All right.”

“Do you know what condition the manor’s in?”

“Honestly, no. Kincade is still there, looking after the place, but I’ve not spoken to him in months,” she told him.

“Kincade? Really?”

“Yes. You know how much he loves that place.”

James nodded.

“I offered to sell it to him once, even though I know it was rightfully Amanda’s inheritance, but Kincade refused. Told me he was happy to just look after it.”

“Sounds like him.”

“Yes.”

“I remember my father having a large gun collection,” James said. “I hope it’s all still there, and if they are, that they still work.”

“Me too.”

They fell quiet, both staring at the road ahead.

“Why don’t you try to get some sleep,” James suggested. “I promise to wake you if I begin to feel tired.”

“I’d rather stay awake and talk with you. I’ve missed you.”

James smiled, and raised her hands to his lips once more. 

“So,” James began, “have you given any more thought to us buying a boat?”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“There. That should do it.”

“How long will M and Bond have before Silva shows up?”

“Twenty-four hours at most,” Adam replied.

“Hopefully that will give them time to prepare.”

Tanner looked at Mallory. “Sir, I think we should send backup. Quietly, of course.”

Mallory nodded. “I agree. Make the arrangements.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Be sure to include a medical team.”

The three men turned at the new voice to find Doctor Aiken and…

“Q!” Tanner exclaimed. “What are you doing out of the hospital?”

“I needed to speak with M.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Mallory said.

“So I’ve been told,” Q responded. “Is there any way to reach them?”

“I’m afraid not,” Tanner told him.

Q frowned, and glanced up at Aiken from his wheelchair. “We need to get him back to Six as soon as possible.”

“Why?” Mallory asked.

Q turned back to face them, his face a mask of concern.

“Because James is in need of serious medical attention.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Olivia woke with a groan, shifting in the uncomfortable seat, as she registered how quiet it was.

“James…” she murmured, as she opened her eyes, and found herself alone in the Aston.

She shivered beneath the wool blanket as the cool, damp air hit her. 

Raising the seat back, she spotted James standing several feet away, hands in his pockets, staring out into the foggy glen. She opened the door, then carefully climbed out, aware of how stiff she’d become over the long drive. She bunched the blanket up, tossed it inside the car, then shut the door and made her way to James.

She’d just about reached him when he doubled over with a loud groan, then crumpled to the ground.

“James!” Olivia exclaimed, rushing to his side. She dropped down beside him, ignoring the flash of pain as her knees impacted on the hard ground, and gathered him into her arms.

“Oh god!” James moaned as he curled his body into hers. “Fuck, it hurts!” he gasped.

“What can I do?”

“I…” He shook his head, then cried out as the pain lanced through his body again.

Olivia looked on helplessly as James writhed in her arms. Her heart ached with the knowledge there was nothing she could do to help him.

“Talk to me,” he managed to grind out between clenched teeth. Christ, it felt as if every muscle, every nerve inside his body was on fire, and the agony was almost overwhelming.

Recognizing his need to have something to help distract him from the pain, Olivia began speaking. “When all this over, when we’ve stopped Silva, I would like you to take me someplace warm. The Bahamas perhaps. Just you and me. Sunshine, warm water, sand, and swimsuits optional.”

James concentrated on the sound of her voice, taking comfort in her soothing tones, and little by little he felt the pain begin to ease. 

“…we can buy that boat, and sail around the world. I think I would like that,” she continued, a slight tremor in her voice

Long minutes later, she felt his body slump against hers. 

“James?” she asked softly.

“No swimsuits,” he replied, his voice hoarse as he opened his eyes.

A half-laugh, half-sob escaped her, as she reached into her jacket pocket for a tissue, and used it to gently wipe the perspiration from his face.

“I did say they were optional.”

He shook his head slightly. “No. No swimsuits. I like the idea of being naked with you as often as possible.”

Olivia hummed her amusement, then leaned down to press her lips to his forehead. “I rather like that idea myself,” she murmured against his skin, before she straightened up, and looked down at him.

If she didn’t know any better, she would swear that he’d aged during the painful attack. There were more lines on his face, and his hair appeared to have more grey mingled in with the blond strands. She shook her head. It was probably just the early morning light playing tricks with her, she thought.

“This was a bad one, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.” James nodded.

“Oh, James…”

“Aiken is working to figure out what’s going on.”

“It’s because of your unusually long stay in the cryotube, isn’t it?”

“I think so,” he replied, then sat up. Satisfied his limbs would support him, he climbed to his feet, then reached down to help Olivia to hers. He pulled her into his arms. “Thank you.”

“You’ve nothing to thank me for. I love you,” she told him, rubbing her cheek against his chest. “I hate seeing you in pain.”

He nodded, then kissed the top of her head. “We should get going. We’re not that far from Skyfall.”

“All right,” Olivia said, lifting her head. “But I’m driving.”

“Olivia.”

“Give me the keys, James,” she told him. “You need to rest.”

He reached into his pocket and retrieved the keys, then dropped them into her hand.

“Thank you.” 

James ducked his head to kiss her, then arm in arm, they made their way back to the car. 

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Would you mind repeating that?” Mallory asked, looking at the elderly Quartermaster.

He, Tanner, Aiken, and Boothroyd were seated around one of the workstations in Q Branch while Adam continued to lay the trail for Silva.

Geoffrey reached into his pocket and removed a tattered notebook. He opened it and laid it on the table facing the younger man. He pointed to a particular handwritten passage.

“According to Newman’s notes, each of his test subjects were subject to rapid ageing after a stay in the cryotube,” Geoffrey told him. “007 was in there for forty-one years, and the cells in his body are, for lack of better explanation, making up for lost time.”

“Is there anything you can do?”

“To be honest, we’re not certain,” Aiken replied. “But we’re going to do everything we can to ensure 007 makes it through this, which is why we need to get him back to medical as soon as possible.”

Mallory and Tanner shared a look. “That’s easier said than done.”

Geoffrey nodded. “I know. James will not stop until the threat to M is neutralized, even to the detriment of his own health.”

“Which is why I am requesting to join the recovery team.” Aiken looked at both Mallory and Tanner. “From what Bond has told me, the attacks are growing more painful each time he has one.”

“Do you have a treatment plan?”

“We’re in the process of formulating one,” Aiken replied, “and should have something in place for when we get him back here.”

Mallory looked at Tanner once again, the two seeming to have a silent conversation before he turned back to the Quartermaster and doctor. He nodded. “Tanner will make the arrangements for you to join the recovery team.”

“Thank you.” Aiken smiled gratefully.

“Why didn’t we know this before? Know about the rapid ageing of the test subjects?” Mallory asked.

“This particular notebook,” Geoffrey tapped it with his fingers, “was not with the others. I found it the day of the explosion. It was tucked way back inside the compartment beneath the cryotube where I discovered the others. I was on my way to show it to M, which is how I got caught in the explosion.”

“Sirs.”

Everyone turned to where Adam was still working away on his computer.

“Silva’s taken his first nibble.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Olivia glanced at James as the car sped along the highway.

Once they’d got back underway, she’d suggested he try to sleep, remembering how exhausted he’d been after the first attack she’d witnessed.

He’d insisted he’d be fine.

Ten minutes later, he’d fallen asleep.

Olivia glanced at him again, her brow furrowed as worry for him gnawed at her gut.

“I’m going to be fine, Olivia,” he murmured, as he slowly opened his eyes, then straightened up in his seat.

“I know.”

James reached out to grasp her hand. “Olivia.”

“I know,” she repeated, squeezing his fingers.

James glanced out the window. 

“We’re almost there,” he said, realizing they were no longer on the highway

“Yes.”

“I slept longer than I thought.”

“You needed it,” Olivia told him.

James nodded.

A short time later, they reached the entrance to the estate. Olivia made the turn, passing through the stone sentries, then continued down the long drive to the manor.

“Christ,” James murmured, as Olivia slowed, then stopped the car. “It looks older than I remember.”

“It’s been forty years, James,” she said, putting the car in neutral before turning it off.

“True.” He conceded with a nod, as he removed his seat belt, then climbed out of the car. Closing the door, he moved to stand in front of the Aston, and stared up at the house.

Olivia joined him, slipping her hand into his. She squeezed his fingers. “Come on.”

As they made their way to the front door, Olivia handed James the keys. “The bronze coloured one is for the house,” she told him.

James unlocked the door, then pushed it open.

They stood in the entrance.

Olivia placed her hand on his back. “James?” 

He glanced down at her. “Old memories.”

“I know.”

“Thankfully, the last ones are pleasant ones,” he told her, giving her a fond smile.

Olivia rubbed his back in response.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, James stepped over the threshold. He waited for her to follow him inside, then closed the door. 

With measured steps, he moved further into the house.

It was obvious to both of them that no one had been in the house for quite a while, as there was a thick layer of dust on everything including, Olivia glanced behind her to see a trail of their footprints, the floors.

They continued to wander through the rooms, stopping suddenly when they heard a loud creak from the dark room ahead of them.

James instinctively stepped in front of Olivia as the barrel of a shotgun came into view, aimed at his chest.

“Identify yourself!” A deep, familiar voice said from the shadows.

Olivia stepped out from behind James. “Kincade, it’s Olivia,” she paused, and grasped James’ hand, “and James.”

An old man in his late seventies moved out of the shadows.

“James?” He looked back and forth between them, before settling his gaze on Olivia. “How is this possible? James died forty years ago.”

“It’s a long story,” Olivia replied. “Suffice it to say, this is James.”

Kincade stepped closer, his attention now focussed on James. “Good god, he hasn’t aged,” he said, then turned to Olivia, his eyes filled with questions.

“As I said, it’s a long story,” she told him. “We’ll tell you later.”

“You’re sure this is James?”

Olivia smiled, then looked up at the man beside her. “Very sure,” she said softly.

Kincade regarded them both for several minutes. “I look forward to hearing how this happened,” he said, then stepped back, and held his hand out. “Good to see you again, lad.”

“Lad?” James shook the other man’s hand. “You’re only a year older than I am, Kincade.”

The old gamekeeper chuckled. “So, what are you doing here?”

“Some men are coming to kill us,” Olivia told him.

“But we’re going to kill them first,” James said.

Kincade glanced back and forth between them. “Then we’d better get ready.”

“Kincade, we appreciate the thought but…”

“No buts,” he cut Olivia off. “You obviously need some help. And no one knows these grounds, this house, better than I do.”

She nodded. It was true.

“Do we still have a gun room?” James asked.

“A room? Yes.” Kincade turned, and walked away.

James and Olivia followed him. 

A few moments later, they stood just inside the doorway of what used to be Skyfall’s gun room. The shelves and cabinets that used to hold several guns and rifles were empty.

“Guns? No,” Kincade said.

“What happened to them?”

“They were sold to a collector in America.”

“Who authorized that?” Olivia asked him.

“You did,” Kincade replied.

Olivia sighed, then hung her head briefly. 

He was right. She had.

“That’s right,” she muttered. “Damn it!” She looked up at James. “I’m sorry, James. I forgot I’d asked Kincade to do that.”

“It’s all right,” James told her.

“There’s still your father’s old hunting rifle,” Kincade said, turning toward one of the showcases. He removed the weapon, and turned back to them, holding it out for James. “We couldn’t let that go.”

James hefted the rifle in his hands, then glanced at the stalk where his father’s initials were engraved. A memory of going hunting with his father flashed through his mind.

Olivia looked at the table in front of her and James.

On it was James’ gun, three clips, Kincade’s shotgun. That, along with James’ father’s gun were all the weapons they had.

A sense of hopelessness enveloped her for the first time since she and James had left London.

“This is all we’ve got?”

“There might be a couple sticks of dynamite from the quarry,” Kincade said. “But if all else fails,” he reached into his jacket, and removed his hunting knife from its sheath, and placed it on the table next to James’ Walther, “sometimes the old ways are best.”

James placed the rifle on the table, then turned to Olivia. He’d heard the worry in her voice, and saw it reflected in her eyes as he met them. “It’s going to be all right,” he told her. “Together, you and I have always been an unbeatable team. That’s not going to change now.” He lifted his hand to cradle her cheek. “We _will_ stop him, Olivia.”

She nodded.

Yes. They would stop him.

“So, would someone please give me the Cliff Notes version as to how you’re still alive,” Kincade said, looking pointedly at James. “Charmaine told me you’d been killed in some sort of explosion back in seventy-one.”

Olivia and James exchanged glances.

“You tell him,” she said.

“Why me?”

“You were the one frozen for forty years.”

Confusion flooded Kincade’s eyes. “Frozen?”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Here.”

Sitting on one of the covered sofas, Olivia looked up to find James standing before her holding a pair of boots.

“These will be better than the heels,” he told her.

“Where did you find them?” she asked, taking them from him.

“In our room,” James replied.

“Our…” Her voice trailed off, and a small smile quirked the corner of her mouth. “You mean, these are the ones I brought with me all those years ago?”

“Yes.”

Olivia shook her head as she toed off her shoes, then pulled on the boots.

“I wish we’d thought to grab some different clothes for you,” James said.

She looked up at him again. “Oh, planned my kidnapping, did you?”

“Good point,” he conceded.

“And even if you’d found anything of mine upstairs, I doubt it would fit me now,” she told him, then smiled as she looked him over. “I see you found a change of clothes, however.”

James nodded, running his hand over his jean-clad thigh. “They were upstairs. I guess I left them here as well. The shirt and jacket I got from Kincade.”

Olivia stood and wrapped her arms around him, slipping her hands into the back pockets of his jeans. “You always looked good in jeans,” she told him, smiling as she squeezed the firm cheeks. “They make your already fabulous arse look even better.”

James chuckled, and drew her closer, then ducked his head to give her a loving kiss.

“Have you figured out what we’re going to do?”

“Not yet.” He shook his head. “First thing I’m going to do is make sure my father’s gun is still working.”

“Okay, and while you do that, I’ll look through the house to see if there’s anything else we can use.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

James made his way across the field to where Kincade was waiting with two of his dogs, his shotgun cradled in his arm.

“Who is it we’re fighting?”

“A sick, twisted bastard from Olivia’s past,” James answered, as he turned to face the dead tree where Kincade had placed a couple tea cups. “He’s hell bent on killing her.”

“Why?”

James placed the cartridges in the rifle, then cocked it.

“Remember, it likes to pull to the left,” Kincade said.

“Thanks,” James remarked. “I remember.” 

He raised the rifle, aimed, then pulled the trigger. 

The first cup shattered.

Seconds later, the second cup shattered as well.

James expelled the spent cartridges.

“So, are you going to tell me why this person is after the lass?” Kincade asked.

James sighed, then turned to look at his old friend. Forty years ago, Kincade had no idea what he and Olivia did for a living, but now… “You know that Olivia…”

“Is the head of MI6? Yes.” Kincade nodded. “It came as quite a surprise, and yet, not really. She’s a strong woman.”

James couldn’t help smiling just a little. It was true. She was a very strong woman.

“This person was someone she worked with?”

“In a way. He was a former agent. He worked for her when she was stationed in Hong Kong. He developed an obsession with her, and when she rejected his advances, he wasn’t too pleased. He was also extremely arrogant and began doing things he shouldn’t; things that could have severely jeopardized Six and the hand over. He got caught by the Chinese, and she gave him up to them.”

“I see.”

“She had no choice,” James explained.

Kincade held up his hand to stop him. “You’ve no need to justify her actions to me, James. If she had to do it, then she had to do it.”

James gave him a grateful smile. “She believed he’d died in the Chinese prison.”

“Obviously not,” Kincade said. “Is he the one responsible for blowing up the SIS headquarters?”

James wasn’t surprised he’d heard about that. It’d been all over the news.

“Yes.”

“And he’s coming here?”

“Yes.”

“Can you stop him?”

They’d reached the manor, and James stopped, his hand on the door knob. He turned slowly to look at the gamekeeper.

“I have to.”


	16. Chapter 16

“Here.”

Tanner looked up from his computer to see Mallory standing in front of his desk holding out a steaming mug.

“Thought you could use a fresh one,” Mallory said.

“Thank you, sir,” Tanner replied, taking the mug.

“Two cream, two sugar, correct?”

Tanner nodded. He took a sip, quietly moaning his appreciation as the hot brew hit his tongue. “Perfect.”

Mallory smiled, and Bill felt a flutter in his gut.

“Any word?”

Tanner shook his head. “Q’s keeping an eye on the street camera footage, and is monitoring the trail he laid out. He’ll notify us the moment there’s any change.”

“Good,” Mallory replied, then gestured toward M’s desk. “Do you mind if I sit?”

Before yesterday’s inquiry, Tanner would have minded quite a bit, however, given that Mallory had saved M’s life, and was doing everything he could now to help them, as well as M and Bond, he found he didn’t mind at all.

“Not at all,” Tanner said, then turned in his chair, following the other man with his eyes. “Have you rested at all, sir?”

Mallory shook his head. “And enough with the sir. I am not your boss yet, Mr. Tanner. My name’s Gareth.”

“You are planning to keep me on as your Chief of Staff, then?”

Mallory nodded. “If you’ll stay. M says you’re the best. I can see how much she trusts you, and how well you take care of things here. I’d be a fool to let you go, and would be honoured if you’d stay on.”

“I would like that,” Tanner said. “Thank you, sir.”

“Bill.” Mallory gave him a pointed look, deliberately using his name.

“Thank you. Gareth.”

Bill’s stomach flipped again when Gareth smiled at him once more.

“So, while we wait for some news, how about we get to know one another better?” Gareth said, lifting his own mug of coffee to his lips.

Bill smiled. “I’d like that.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Olivia stood beside the window in the living room, her jacket pulled tight around her, as she stared unseeingly at the field surrounding Skyfall.

Not for the first time, she wondered if coming here was a good idea.

She trusted James. Trusted in his ability to protect her.

However, Rodriguez… 

Olivia shook her head.

No! she told herself, not Rodriguez. Rodriguez was dead. He’d died in that Chinese prison. Silva was a different animal.

A different and unpredictable one.

A man with apparently unlimited resources at his fingertips, while out here, she and James had practically nothing.

Nothing but each other.

She found herself absently twisting her ring.

Each other.

It had always been enough before.

And it would be again.

“Olivia!”

Kincade’s call of her name broke into her thoughts, and she turned away from the window to see him walking toward her, carrying a large box.

“I brought you a few things.” He lifted a scarf from the top of the items, and held it out to her. “As you know, the nights get cold here.”

Olivia nodded. She remembered. “Thank you,” she said, taking the scarf and draping it around her neck.

“Has James showed you the Priest hole?”

Olivia shook her head.

“This way.” Kincade lead her over to the far inner wall. He pulled back a small latch, then used his foot to push open the hidden door. He leaned down, and reached inside to turn on the light. “From Reformation times.”

Olivia peered inside.

“The tunnel leads under the moor to the chapel. If you get into trouble, this is the place to come,” he told her. “The night my father told James his parents had died, he hid in here. For two days. When he did come out, he was no longer the friend I remembered. He wasn’t a boy anymore.”

“No,” she said quietly, her heart aching for the boy her James had been. She knew that loss, remembered how she’d felt when she’d lost her parents. “He wouldn’t have been.”

Kincade sighed, then straightened up with a groan. “Must get a move on.”

Olivia continued to stare into the Priest hole. A few moments later, she reached inside and turned off the light.

Her head snapped toward the window when one of Kincade’s dogs barked. She hurried over to the window, placing her hand on the glass, and looked out, relaxing a little when she noticed the dog was chasing after a squirrel.

Olivia was tired of feeling jumpy. Tired of being scared.

She and James had come here to his childhood home to make a stand against a madman, and make a stand they would.

Straightening up, Olivia made her way to the living room.

She had an idea.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

James found Olivia in the living room, staring up at the ceiling.

She glanced at him when she heard his footsteps, then leaned back against his chest when he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

“Whatcha doing?” he asked, dropping a kiss to the top her head.

“I was thinking,” she replied. “Explosives, bombs and the like, was my area of expertise.”

“I know.”

“Well, if you could spare some shotgun cartridges, I can use them to rig the chandeliers.”

“How?”

Olivia moved out of his arms, then stepped over to the nearest cloth hanging from one of the chandeliers. She gave it a firm tug, and it fell away, dust showering down on her.

“I can use the lightbulbs. Simply break the glass, then screw the base into a shotgun cartridge. Kincade tells me there are plenty of screws and nails, and other small sharp objects that would make for great projectiles. We put all that into small bags, then secure them to the cartridge base, then put them back in the chandeliers.”

“And when you flip the switch…” James grinned. “I’ll get you some cartridges. How many do you need?”

“Eighteen.”

“All right.” James nodded. “I’ll get them for you.”

“Thank you,” she said. 

“You’re welcome,” he replied, then held his hand out to her. “While we have a moment, there’s something else I want to show you.”

“What’s that?” she asked, taking his hand.

“Something I want you to keep in mind if things get crazy,” he told her, leading her across the room.

“The Priest hole,” she said, realizing where he was guiding her.

“Yes. Kincade showed you?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I had been meaning to do that,” he told her, and stopped just in front of it. He turned to face her, and drew her into his arms. “I know you’ll fight me on it, but I want you to promise me, that if I tell you to, you’ll take the tunnel to the chapel.”

“James…” Olivia shook her head.

“Olivia, please,” James pleaded. “I promise not to unless it’s absolutely necessary, but if I do, I need to know you’ll go.”

Olivia held his gaze for several moments before she swallowed hard, then nodded. “I promise.”

James brushed the backs of his fingers against her temple. “Thank you, Olivia,” he said, then lowered his head to kiss her.

They parted several minutes later, resting their foreheads together as they panted softly for breath.

“We’re going to make it.”

Olivia smiled. “Yes we are.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Kincade yanked the dust cloth off the large free-standing mirror.

“Well?”

“That’ll work,” James agreed. 

“Where do you want to put it?”

“Front entrance.”

They picked it up.

“I was contemplating sawing off the barrel of my shotgun,” Kincade mentioned, as they carried the heavy mirror through the house.

“Olivia gave me an idea as well,” James told him. “Booby trap the floorboards between the rooms with a couple of the shotgun cartridges.”

“I like that. What else did you have in mind?”

“Funny you should ask.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Olivia covered the bulb with the towel, then smashed it with the hammer. Uncovering it, she picked up the base, then reached for one of the shotgun cartridges, and screwed them together.

She then reached for the small plastic bag filled with nails, screws, bits of glass, and other assorted scraps of metal that would be deadly when shot from the chandeliers, and then secured it with a zip tie.

Four down.

Fourteen to go.

“How’s it going?” 

Olivia looked up as she tightened the zip tie on the last chandelier bomb, and placed it beside the others.

“All finished.” She gave James a tired smiled. “Now I just need to get them back in the chandeliers.”

“I can help you with that,” James said.

“Thank you.”

“We’ve laid the floorboard traps,” he told her, as he gathered up several of the baggies. “Be careful you don’t step on it when you’re moving between rooms.”

“All right.” Olivia nodded, following out of the dining room where she’d been working. “What’s left to be done?”

“I’m going to move the car into a better position, then we’re going to shutter the windows,” he replied. “After that, all we can do is wait.”

“I hate waiting,” she muttered.

“I know you do,” James said, then stopped beside the chair she’d left beneath one of the chandeliers. “Do you want to do the honours?”

Olivia shook her head. “Be my guest.”

James smiled. He stepped up on the chair, then reached up and began screwing the homemade bombs into the sockets.

“Have you had anymore attacks?” she asked, as they worked on the last chandelier.

“No.”

“You’re not --”

“I’ve not had another one, Olivia,” James cut her off. He finished screwing in the last baggie, then hopped off the chair. He grasped her hands in his. “I wouldn’t lie to you about this.”

Olivia nodded, then stepped closer, and let her head fall to rest on his chest. “I can’t help being worried, James.”

“I know,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. “I’m going to be fine.”

“You can’t promise that,” she whispered.

James cradled the back of her head, and urged her to raise it. “Yes, I can. I _am_ going to be all right, Olivia. We have plans. You and me, naked on a beach. You’re not getting out of that so easy.”

Olivia chuckled in spite of herself. “I love you, James Bond.”

“I love you, too.”

“How can you not?”

James chuckled. “Smartarse.”

She curled her hand around the back of his head. “You wouldn’t have me any other way,” she whispered, drawing him down for a kiss.

“Nope,” he murmured against her lips before kissing her properly.

Their arms tightened around each other, though they kept the kiss a gentle, loving one.

The sound of a throat clearing caused them to part. They turned to find Kincade standing in the doorway with his hat in his hands, and a sheepish expression on his face.

“Sorry to interrupt,” he said, then looked at James. “I’ve got the shutters in the back of the truck.”

“All right.” James looked down at Olivia, and brushed another kiss over her lips. “Back to work.”

Olivia nodded, then moved out of his embrace. “Right. Let’s go.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Do you have any news, Q?”

Adam turned from his computer at the question to see Mallory and Tanner walking toward him.

“Yes, sir. I was just about to ring you. Silva has taken the bait, and is following the false tracking signal. But…”

“But what?” Mallory asked.

“I lost him on the traffic cameras.”

“What do you mean lost him?”

“Just outside of Glasgow. He went off the grid.”

“Damn!” Mallory swore.

“He’s teasing us,” Tanner muttered, remembering how Silva seemed to taunt M when he was in the isolation chamber.

“Bill?”

Bill looked at him. “Silva is teasing us. He knows where M and Bond are.”

“Which is what we wanted.”

“Yes. But we wanted him to arrive on our timetable,” Tanner told him. “He’s playing by his own rules again.”

“Is there anyway for us to contact Bond and M?”

Tanner shook his head. “No.”

Mallory frowned.

“It’s how they wanted it. M did not want to risk anymore lives.”

“Have the recovery team prepare to get under way,” Mallory said. “They’ll be scrambling out of Northolt.”

“Yes, sir,” Tanner replied.

Mallory looked up at the large wall screen in front of them.

“Let’s just hope they’re not too late.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

James got out of the Aston, then walked slowly back toward the house, his father’s rifle in his hand.

He paused at the front door, and looked back across the field to the estate’s entrance.

They were as prepared as they could be.

Now, it was just a waiting game.

He took a deep breath, then released it slowly.

Hopefully they would not have to wait too long.

With a final glance around, James opened the door, and entered the house.

“There you are.”

The corner of his mouth curled up in a small smile as Olivia walked toward him.

“I was just coming to find you.”

“Here I am.” He held his hands out.

“Is everything set?”

James nodded. “All we can do now is wait.”

“I hate waiting,” she repeated her earlier sentiments.

“I know. So do I.”

They shared weary smiles.

“Do you have your gun?” James asked her.

She reached into her jacket pocket, and pulled out his Walther. “Yes.”

He’d given it to her earlier, wanting to ensure she had some protection, knowing he wouldn’t be able to be at her side every moment once Silva arrived. He wanted to be, but he knew it wouldn’t be possible.

It’s why he’d insisted she take his Walther.

“Good.”

They stared at each other.

“James.”  
“Olivia.”

They spoke at the same time.

Both chuckled.

They continued to look at each other.

“I’m scared,” Olivia admitted in a soft voice.

“I know,” James responded. “So am I.”

A tremulous smile tugged at her lips.

“That’s good to know.”

James gave her a tender look.

“We’ve done all we can,” she said, giving voice to his thoughts just moments ago.

He nodded. “Yes we have.”

They both knew Silva was going to come at them with everything he had. Olivia had seen the look in his eyes at the inquiry when he’d trained his gun on her. She’d seen the twisted lust mixed with hatred in his eyes. She knew he was not going to give up until she was dead.

Or he was.

“I will not let him hurt you, Olivia,” James told her, as if he was reading her thoughts.

“I know.”

“I mean it. I will kill him with my bare hands if I have to.”

“I know you will,” she said, her voice just above a whisper. “I just hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“Me either.”

They continued to hold each other’s gaze, then without a word, they were in each other’s arms.

“We’re going to be fine,” Olivia whispered, then repeated it in a firmer voice. “We’re going to be fine.”

James tightened his arms around her. “Yes, we are.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Amanda wandered into the living room of the safe house she and her family were staying in, and found her daughter sitting in front of the fireplace, staring at the crackling fire.

“Lacey?”

When she didn’t answer, Amanda walked over to her, and laid her hand on the blonde hair.

Lacey startled at her mother’s touch, and looked up at her.

“Lace, what’s wrong?” Concern filled Amanda’s voice as she saw the tears on her daughter’s cheeks.

“I have a very bad feeling about Grandy and Grandpa,” Lacey answered in a quiet voice.

“I am sure if something was wrong, Bill would tell us.”

Lacey shook her head. “What if he can’t? What if he doesn’t know? Mum, I know you don’t care --”

“Stop right there, young lady!” Amanda said. “Of course, I care. They’re my parents.”

“But you’ve never cared about Grandpa.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.”

Lacey frowned; confusion evident in her blue eyes. “But you never talk about him. You’ve never asked Grandy about him. You got so angry that morning when you finally met him.”

“I was angry, yes.” Amanda nodded. “I’d always assumed my father had abandoned us; that he’d gone into that cryotube even knowing your grandmother was pregnant with me.” She paused. “I have since learned that wasn’t the case. He didn’t know.”

“You’ve been mad at him all your life?”

“Yes.”

“So that’s why you never asked Grandy about him?”

“That’s part of it.”

“What’s the other reason?”

Amanda lowered herself down to sit beside Lacey in front of the fireplace. “I hated seeing the sadness in my mother’s eyes when I asked her about him, so I stopped asking.”

“So you did want to know about him.”

“Yes.” Amanda nodded.

Lacey shifted closer, and laid her head on her mother’s shoulder. “You should tell Grandy. I think it’d make her happy to know that.”

Amanda smiled, and wrapped her arm around her daughter.

They watched the flames dance in the fireplace.

“I still have a bad feeling though, mum,” Lacey said in a quiet voice a short time later. “I’m very worried about them.”

“I know, Lacey. So am I. But they’ll be okay.”

“How can you know that?”

Having seen the love her father had for her mother in James’ eyes, Amanda knew he would do everything he could to protect her. She answered her daughter in a confident voice, “Because your grandfather will make sure of it.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“I fucked this up, didn’t I?”

James turned from the window to look at Olivia. She was seated on a cloth covered bench in the living room where they waited for Silva to make his move. She was leaning forward, her elbows resting on her knees, his gun held loosely in her hand.

“No. You did your job.”

“I should have made certain he was dead; made sure that he’d died in that prison.”

“What’s done is done, Olivia. You cannot start second guessing yourself now.”

“I know,” she sighed.

James frowned. 

They’d already had this discussion.

He moved away from the window, crossed over to her, then got down on one knee in front of her. He placed the rifle on the floor next to him, then grasped her hands in his.

Olivia met his eyes.

“It’s not your fault,” he said in a low voice. “Rodriguez knew the risks when he signed up for the job. Just as I did. Just as you did. Just as every person who signs up to be a field agent in the secret service does.”

“I know.”

“Then stop this. You told me you hadn’t wanted to give him up, but you had no choice. Not doing so would have jeopardized the handover.”

Olivia nodded. 

“Every agent knows there is a chance he or she could be captured, and given up as a consequence,” James said. “Rodriguez knew this. He knew it, and he decided to hack the Chinese anyway. He got caught, and he paid the price. That was _his_ fault. Not yours.”

The corners of her mouth lifted in a small smile. 

James was right.

None of this was her fault.

“You’re right,” Olivia told him.

James smirked. “And this surprises you how?”

Olivia pulled her hand from his, and smacked his arm.

He chuckled, and leaned in to kiss her.

No sooner did their lips touch when the dogs began to bark.

Olivia sat up.

James released her hand, and straightened up. He grabbed his rifle off the floor, then got to his feet and moved back to the window. He could just make out the silhouettes of several men on the edge of the property.

“You ready?” he asked Kincade.

“Aye.”

James glanced down at Olivia when he felt her hand on his back as she moved to stand beside him.

“I’m ready, too,” she said.

“All right. You both know what to do.”

Kincade and Olivia nodded.

“Remember the plan. No unnecessary risks,” he told them.

“That goes for you as well,” Olivia replied.

James nodded. He looked out the window again. “I need to get out to the car,” he said, then turned to face her. He cupped her cheek. “Be careful.”

“I will. You, too,” Olivia whispered.

They shared a quick kiss, then James left.

He quickly made his way to the front door, opened it, then stepped outside into the waning daylight. Pulling the door closed behind him, he locked it then hurried over to the Aston. Pausing by the driver’s side door, he looked across the field to see how far Silva’s men had advanced.

Judging he had about fifteen minutes, James opened the door, then got inside the car. Closing the door, he ducked down so that he was crouched in the footwell, then opened the arm rest to reveal the control panel for the Aston’s refinements.

Now, he thought, we wait.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Olivia took position in the living room, next to the light switches, then looked at Kincade.

“Be safe,” she told him.

“You as well,” he replied, reaching out to pat her on the shoulder, then walked away.

Olivia leaned back against the wall, and closed her eyes, gripping James’ gun tightly.

Hopefully this night would end the way they wanted.

“And then we can finally get on with our lives,” she whispered into the quiet room.

At the sound of machine gun fire, Olivia’s eyes opened.

It had started.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

James heard the crunch of footsteps on the dry grass, and carefully raised his head.

He counted about a dozen men; each one carrying a machine gun.

One of them placed an explosive on the door, and they all backed away from the house.

James ducked back down. He pushed the button in the console that opened the headlights, and two Browning .30 calibre machine guns emerged.

The hitmen turned at the sound.

James opened fire just as the device on the door exploded.

Three men were killed instantly.

Returning fire, several of the men used the cover of bullets to slip inside the house. A few men remained outside, continuing to shower the Aston with machine gun fire.

The car’s guns ran out of bullets, not having had a large supply to begin with.

James rose up to peer over the dash.

He ducked back down as three of the men fired at him again. Opening the car door, he slipped out of the vehicle, then stood and fired his rifle, killing two of the men.

Dropping down in a crouch, using the door as a shield, he reloaded the rifle. He stood, then stepping out from behind the door, he pulled the trigger, killing the third man.

With a quick glance around, he made his way to the house, then carefully stepped inside.

Seeing the bodies and the destroyed mirror, a grim smile came to his face. Well done, Kincade, he thought. Tossing his father’s rifle aside, he picked up one of the dead men’s assault rifles.

Time to go hunting, James thought.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Olivia held her breath when she heard approaching footsteps.

A few men had made it past both James and Kincade.

The cartridges in the floorboard between the living room and front lounge exploded.

Olivia peeked around the corner, and saw two men still moving forward, their guns at the ready. She moved back, shifting the Walther to her left hand, and reaching up for the light switches.

She counted three seconds, then flipped the first switch.

The chandelier bombs exploded.

She flipped the second switch.

The shrapnel in the bags rained down on the two men, killing them both instantly.

Switching the gun back to her dominant hand, she stepped out into the room, gun raised, then slowly made her way through the living room, ignoring the dead bodies of Silva’s men.

She cautiously entered the dining room, then hurried over to hide behind one of the partitions when she heard footsteps. Taking a deep breath, she swung out from behind the small wall, and squeezed the trigger, firing several shots.

She missed.

The man in the room returned fire.

Olivia ducked back behind the wall as the bullets whizzed past her, several of them impacting and shattering the bricks. She gasped and grimaced as she fell to the floor, a searing pain in her hip.

She heard more shots from the direction she’d just come from, and looked up to see James standing a few feet away, a machine gun in his hands.

“You hurt?”

“Yes.”

“How bad?” James asked, stepping over and holding his hand out to her.

Olivia shook her head, then placed her hand in his, allowing him to help her to her feet. “Well, I can stand.”

“You never were a good shot,” James said, as he pushed her jacket aside, and peered at the wound in her hip. He frowned, as he probed the wound.

“No,” Olivia hissed, “I wasn’t.”

“Sorry,” he said. “I don’t see a bullet hole, but there are several lacerations and lots of blood.” He glanced at the wall she’d been sheltering behind, and reached out to feel the large hole. “There it is,” he told her. “The bullet’s in the wall. Looks like you got hit with stone fragments.”

He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, quickly folded it, and placed it against the wound.

Olivia gasped in pain.

“Sorry. But we have to stop the bleeding. I wish we had something to secure the handkerchief to you.”

“How about the scarf?” She tugged on the woolen article around her neck. “Tie it around my hips under the jacket.”

“That might work.” James nodded, then quickly proceeded to do that. He tied it tight, so tight that she moaned softly in pain. He straightened up, then reached out to cup her cheek. “I’m sorry, but I can’t take any chances on you bleeding out on me.”

“It’s okay,” she replied, nuzzling his palm. She gestured to the bodies on the floor. “Is he there?”

James gave her cheek one last caress before he removed his hand, and then stepped over to the bodies. He yanked the masks off their faces. “No. He’s not here.”

“Dammit!” Olivia swore, but wasn’t surprised. She told James as much.

“No, I’m not surprised either.”

It was then they both heard the beating of a helicopter’s blades, coupled with loud rock music being blasted over a set of externally mounted speakers.

James crossed the room to the shuttered up windows, and peered through the slats into the darkening sky to see a heavily armed chopper flying towards Skyfall.

“Always got to make an entrance,” James muttered as Kincade joined them.

“Yes, he was always prone to the dramatic,” Olivia said.

“I want you two in the kitchen, now!” James told them.

“But…” Kincade began, but was stopped by Olivia grabbing his arm. “Come on,” she said.

As they moved into the kitchen, James rushed across the room to another window. He smashed through the shutter with the butt of the assault rifle, then fired through the window at the approaching airship.

The chopper turned sideways and returned fire.

James ran toward the kitchen bullets trailing after him, shattering the shutters and stone walls.

“Get behind the arch!” James yelled at them.

More bullets rained down on them, as Olivia and Kincade did as James instructed.

James grabbed another machine gun off the floor from the lifeless hands of one of Silva’s men. The helicopter fired again as James ran through the house, trying to find a good position from where to return fire. The shutters in the windows splintered with the impact from the bullets, showering the room with debris. There was a pause in the gunfire, and James realized the helicopter was going to land.

He ran back to the kitchen. “Go to the chapel! Use the tunnel!”

“James…” Olivia began

“Olivia, you promised,” James cut her off. He hurried over to her and cupped her cheek. “Please, go.”

Olivia nodded, reaching up to cover his hand. “Be careful.”

“I will,” he replied. “Now go.”

“Come on, lass,” Kincade said, shuffling past her. He grabbed a torch off the table nearby, which they had left there earlier, and moved to the door leading to the Priest hole. Unlatching it, he opened the door, turned on the light, then looked back at her.

“I love you,” Olivia told him.

James brushed his fingers against her temple. “I love you, too.”

Olivia turned, and made her way over to where Kincade waited. She gave James one last look, then entered the tunnel.

“Kincade,” James called out to him, stopping him just as he was about to enter the tunnel.

The gamekeeper looked back at him. “I’ll look after her, James.”

“Thank you.”

Kincade nodded, then slipped inside the Priest hole, closing the door behind him.

Once they were gone, James moved quickly towards the front of the house, his attention on the now landed helicopter, and the men scrambling out of it.

Silva was out in front.

James stopped near to the front entrance, then leaned back against the wall for protection. He pulled the clip from the machine gun to check how many bullets he had left, and frowned. There were only a few shots left. But enough to do the job. All he needed was a clean shot.

Stepping away from the wall to take his shot, he heard, then saw a smoking canister rolling down the steps.

Grenade! James realized, and dove out of the way just as the canister exploded.

He rolled, falling against some of the furniture, then quickly got to his feet, gun at the ready.

Silva lobbed another grenade through one of the shot out windows.

The blast threw James backwards, skidding across the floor.

He sat up, scowling at the flames as the various pieces of furniture began to burn. He picked the machine gun up off the floor, then got to his feet.

“Everyone listen to me! Don’t you dare touch her. She’s mine!”

Rage filled James as Silva’s words reached his ears over the beating of the chopper’s blades as it rose into the air.

Light filled the room, and James realized the helicopter had turned on its spotlight.

Good. It would make it easier to see and shoot Silva, James thought, as he crept closer to the far window in the living room where the light of the chopper seemed to be concentrated.

“Oh, James!” Silva called out. “Come on out and play. Bring mommy with you, why don’t you.”

His voice was a little more clear, telling James he was standing near to the window.

James pulled the trigger, spraying the window with bullets.

Seconds later, another canister grenade came flying through at him, exploding and setting more of the house on fire.

James glanced around, he was surrounded by fire; flames burning hotly from both sides of the house.

“Damn it!” he swore, then spotted some old propane cylinders.

He got an idea.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“How are you doing, Olivia?”

“Fine,” she answered, ignoring the pain shooting through her hip with every step. The bullet may not have hit her, but the stone fragments had, and they hurt like a son of a bitch. “Kincade, we need to go back.”

“No, lass. We can’t do that.”

“But we have to. James --”

“Will be all right,” Kincade told her. “We’d only be in the way.”

Olivia stopped, leaning against a support post with a groan. She pressed her hand to her hip in an attempt to help soothe the ache.

Kincade glanced back over his shoulder, and seeing that she wasn’t right behind him, he stopped and turned. He walked back to her. “Olivia?”

“I just got him back,” she said in a soft voice. “I can’t lose him again so soon.”

He laid his hand on her shoulder. “You won’t.”

“Kincade.”

He shook his head. “You know we can’t. Knowing you’re safely away from that madman will allow James to think more clearly; to do what he needs to do.”

Olivia pulled in a deep, shuddering breath, then nodded. He was right. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. If she went back, she would only distract James.

Kincade slipped his arm around her waist, and helped her straighten up. “Come on. Let’s get you to the chapel. We’ll find something to help stop the bleeding.”

“Bleed…” She looked down at her hand. It was covered in blood.

“You were shot?”

“Shot at. James said there was no bullet,” she told him, as they resumed walking. “Just stone fragments.”

“It would still be a good idea to get you to the chapel so you can sit.”

Olivia huffed in wry amusement. “I won’t argue.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Positioning the two propane cylinders in the middle of what used to be Skyfall’s living room, James heard the helicopter’s machine guns firing.

He looked up just in time to see his beloved Aston blow up.

Son of a… James thought angrily, reaching into his jacket pocket for the primer cord he’d removed from the few sticks of dynamite he’d found earlier. He wrapped the cord around the cylinders’ valves, then reached into the nearby box of matches.

Striking the match, he lit the free end of the primer cord, then tossed the match into the flames in front of him.

James hurried over to the Priest hole, opened the door, then ducked inside. He paused, crouched in the doorway, and glanced back at the burning room.

“I always hated this house,” he muttered, then hurried down the stairs into the tunnel.

He ran along the path, hoping to put some distance between him and the house before the propane cylinders blew up. He stumbled to a stop when he heard the cylinders explode, and looked back.

A few moments later, a larger explosion rocked the tunnel.

James’ eyes grew wide when he saw a large fireball snaking through the tunnel in his direction.

“Shit!” he swore, and broke into another run.

He could feel the heat of the flames licking at his back, and just before they could consume him, he caught sight of the small side tunnel he’d hidden in as a child, and dove into it.

The flames burst over him, then were sucked back to where they came.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Kincade held his hand out to Olivia, and helped her out of the tunnel.

She turned sharply when she heard the explosion, and watched as Silva’s helicopter crashed into the manor.

The explosion intensified.

Olivia swallowed hard.

He’s okay, she told herself.

Kincade slipped his arm around her shoulder. “Come on,” he said gently, then began leading her toward the chapel.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Pain lanced through James’ body.

“Fuck!” he swore, then groaned. “Not now.”


	17. Chapter 17

“Report!”

Tanner turned from the wall screen.

“The recovery team is twenty minutes away,” he told Mallory.

Mallory glanced at Tanner, then looked up at the large monitor, his eyes tracking the progress of the chopper. “Let’s hope we’re not too late.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Olivia stumbled on a rock, grateful when Kincade’s grip on her arm tightened.

“All right?”

“Yes. Thank you,” she replied.

“We’re almost there,” he told her. “When we get you to the chapel, I’ll have a look around, see if there’s anything I can use as a bandage.”

Olivia simply nodded, and pressed her hand against her hip. The wound had continued to bleed, soaking through the handkerchief and scarf, as well as her jacket. She hoped they would be able to find something in the chapel to help, otherwise…

Olivia shook her head.

No. She wouldn’t think like that. She was going to be fine.

She looked back over her shoulder at the inferno that used to be Skyfall.

He was going to be fine, too.

“Please…” she whispered.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

James groaned. 

His body felt as if it were on fire, every nerve feeling as if it was trying to burst through his skin.

He curled up in a ball, willing the pain to go away.

I don’t have time for this, James thought angrily.

Several moments later, he felt the excruciating pain give way to a deep discomfort, and shakily climbed to his feet with a grunt. Leaning against the stone wall, he took a second to get his bearings, then stepped back into the main tunnel, and quickly made his way along the path.

He stumbled out of the tunnel, falling face first into the dirt. He scrambled to his feet, and looked back across the moor at the burning walls of what used to be his childhood home. Not hearing or seeing the helicopter, James quickly realized it must have got caught in the explosion from the propane cylinders, and that was where the larger explosion had come from.

With a final glance at the house, he turned his back on it.

He had more urgent matters to contend with, and broke into a run; instinct telling him Silva had not been caught in the explosion.

He had to get to the chapel.

To Olivia.

James pushed himself harder. 

Olivia’s life depended on it.

Spotting one of Silva’s men, James came at him from the side. He propelled himself up, using a downed log, and knocked the man out with a well-placed kick, and kept on running.

Reaching the edge of the lake, he stopped.

It was frozen.

He could go around, but that would take time. Time neither he or Olivia had.

James took a wary step on the ice, swallowing when he heard it creak, then put his full weight on it.

When he didn’t break through, James decided to take the chance, and broke into another run. Less than twenty feet from the lake’s edge, gun shots into the ice had him skidding to a stop.

He looked up to see Silva appear from out of the darkness, gun in hand.

“An old man such as yourself should not be running around like this, Mr. Bond. See what comes from it.” 

James frowned, then out of the corner of his eye, saw one of Silva’s men approaching.

“All this running, jumping, and fighting. It’s exhausting, and not good for those old bones of yours,” Silva taunted him. “You need to relax.”

The other man reached James, and gave him a smug look as he stopped just in front of him, and raised his weapon, training it on him.

James followed Silva’s gaze as he looked toward the chapel, and saw a light flickering in the windows. Olivia and Kincade had made it safely. 

“Well, mother’s waiting,” Silva said, turning back to him. He smiled at James, his eyes gleaming in a way that made James even more determined to stop him. “I’ll give her a goodbye kiss for you.”

There was something in how Silva said it that made the hairs on the back of James’ neck stand up.

He looked down at the frozen lake.

It was crazy, the idea that suddenly came to mind, but James knew he had no other alternative. He knew Silva would kill him before continuing after Olivia, as he saw James as the reason Olivia had always resisted him.

Without warning, he grabbed the muzzle of the machine gun, yanking it from the hands of Silva’s hitman. He squeezed the trigger as he spun in a tight circle, carving the ice with the bullets as he fought against the other man’s attempts to take the gun back.

The ice gave way, and both men plunged into the ice cold water.

James struggled against the other man, who had managed to get his arm around James’ neck as they fell. He grabbed the arm, and pulled, desperately ignoring the freezing water soaking his clothes.

He thrashed around until he gained the upper hand, then maneuvered so that he could wrap his leg around the other man’s neck. He squeezed, cutting off the man’s air supply, then got a proper grip, and snapped his neck.

Releasing the body, James righted himself in the water, and looked up.

Fuck! Where was the hole, he thought, scanning the dark ice above? Had it frozen over already?

He needed something to break through the ice. The machine gun had fallen from his hands when he’d hit the water.

James felt the pressure in his lungs, and knew he did not have much time left.

Making his decision, he turned, and swam down toward the dead hitman who continued to sink. Reaching him, he found a flare on the man’s belt. It would have to do.

Righting himself, James fired the flare up.

With a hard kick, he swam toward the surface.

The pressure in his lungs was becoming almost unbearable; the need to breathe growing more and more urgent.

He broke the surface with a heaving gasp, drawing the cold air deep into his lungs. He groaned as the frigid air filled his lungs, and could not stop the tears welling in eyes – both in pain and relief.

He grabbed hold of the ice, and struggled to pull himself up and out of the water. Once freed of the icy water, he lay on his back for a moment, panting for breath.

That had been close.

Too close, James thought.

He slowly got to his feet, shivering in the cold air, and carefully made his way to the lake’s edge. He’d just got both feet on the dry land when a gunshot shattered the calm.

Olivia!

James bolted.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Kincade lead Olivia to one of the pews.

“Here you go, lass,” he said. “Sit. Rest yourself, and I’ll have a look around; see if I can find something.”

“Thank you, Kincade,” Olivia replied quietly. 

She felt oddly breathless and a little light-headed, and knew it was due to the blood loss.

The wound was more serious than James had first thought.

James.

Worry had her stomach tied up in knots.

Her heart was telling her he was fine, but her mind was telling her something else entirely.

She closed her eyes, willing the horrific images her imagination continued to conjure up away. 

No, Olivia shook her head. James was fine. He wouldn’t leave her again. 

Not now.

The skittering of stones behind her, made her sit up. 

Hope flared as she turned, but was quickly doused when she saw Silva standing in the entrance.

She pushed herself to her feet. 

Straightening her shoulders, and hardening her features, Olivia turned to face him, pleased when he flinched under her hard stare.

Gathering himself, a slow manic smile formed on his face. “Hello, mother,” he murmured. “Miss me?”

“With every shot thus far, it seems.”

A loud guffaw escaped him. “Very good. Very good. How I have missed that wit of yours.”

Olivia did not respond.

Silva glanced around, and nodded. “Here is appropriate,” he said, as he began to slowly walk toward her. “Thank you.”

“I can’t find it --”

Olivia’s head snapped around at the sound of Kincade’s voice, and her eyes grew wide when a gunshot rang out; the bullet hitting the wall a few inches from Kincade’s head.

“Don’t!” Silva said, his gun still pointed at the older man.

Olivia saw the surprise and fear in Kincade’s eyes as he stopped dead in his tracks.

“Please don’t!” Silva repeated, still approaching her halting steps.

Olivia turned back to face him.

He lowered the gun as he stopped directly in front of her.

In spite of her resolve not to, Olivia felt a tremor of fear move up her spine as Silva stepped closer, violating her personal space.

“You’re hurt,” he said, reaching out to grab her hand, pulling it away from where she was clutching her hip. He used his grip on her hand to tug her closer. “What happened to you? Who did this to you?”

“You did.”

Silva let her hand go, and stepped back, placing his hand on his chest, a faux look of horror on his face. “Me? I would never. No. One of my men? Careless.” He shook his head. “So careless.”

Olivia held herself still, as he stepped close once more, and reached up to touch her chin, then fluttered his fingers over her cheek.

“So long,” he murmured. “I’ve waited so long…”

His eyes grew dark as he slowly raised his gun. He aimed it at her, pointing the muzzle between her eyes. He began to breathe heavier as his finger rested on the trigger, the tip of the gun brushing her nose.

Olivia swallowed hard, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing the fear she was experiencing.

Suddenly, Silva reached between them to grab her hand, and placed the gun against her palm. He forced her finger into the trigger guard, his finger covering hers, as he curled the rest of them around the grip. 

“Time to free both of us,” he told her. He grasped the back of her head with his free hand, and pulled her closer. “With the same bullet.” He leaned down, guiding her so that their temples were resting together. 

“This is how it should be,” he told her breathlessly, as he raised their joined hands, placing the end of the gun against her temple. “You and me, mother. Do it. Only you can do it.”

Olivia fought to keep her nausea at bay as Silva’s hot breath blew across her ear and neck. She could feel his finger begin to press against hers on the trigger, and felt her fear grow.

She heard a soft thud.

Suddenly Silva’s head snapped up and he stumbled back from her with a loud groan, the gun falling from his fingers to clatter on the stone floor.

Olivia looked past him to see James standing in the doorway, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Relieved tears sprang to her eyes at the sight of him. He was okay.

Silva turned, and that’s when Olivia saw the handle of Kincade’s knife sticking out of his back. He hobbled toward James, grunting in pain with each step, then fell to his knees.

James moved further in to the chapel, and stopped just in front of Silva. He looked down at him. “First rat out of the maze.”

Silva huffed, then toppled over, face first into the cement floor.

James stared at Silva’s now lifeless body.

Mission accomplished.

Slowly, James raised his head to find Olivia staring at him.

“Are you…” 

“Yes.” 

Relief slammed into him, knocking him back a few steps with its intensity.

“What took you so long?”

He could hear the slight tremor in her voice, and James suspected, that like him, Olivia was only just hanging on to her sanity. 

“Sorry. I took a spill in the lake.”

She gave him a watery smile, shaking her head gently. It no longer mattered. He was here, and that was all she cared about in that moment.

The need to touch, to be in each other’s arms was sudden and fierce. Without saying a word, they moved toward each other.

“Aagh!” The agonized scream filled the chapel as James collapsed.

“James!” Olivia cried out, dropping down beside him, worry for him overshadowing the sharp pain that shot through her hip. Her eyes grew wide with horror as she watched his body convulse, and she realized he was caught up in a seizure.

Her head snapped up when she registered the sound of approaching helicopters, and she turned sharply to look at Kincade who had hurried over to them.

“That’s Six!”

“How can you be certain?”

“I just am. Get out there, flag them down,” Olivia ordered. “We’ve got to get James to a hospital.”

Kincade nodded, even though Olivia was no longer looking at him. He stepped around them, then moved quickly to the door, and made his way outside.

Olivia shifted closer to James, reaching out to touch his face, as he continued to writhe in agony. She was too afraid to gather him into her arms as she had the day before, but needed him to know he was there.

“Hang on, my love. Please hang on. Help is on the way,” she pleaded.

James groaned.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Kincade hurried down the chapel steps, and moved away from the chapel, his eyes cast upwards, searching the night sky for the helicopters.

He spotted them hovering over the lake.

Realizing he still held the torch in his hand, he turned it on, and began waving it about, trying to get the choppers’ attention.

He even began yelling, even knowing the odds of them hearing him over the pounding of the blades was next to impossible.

The helicopters split up, one flying toward the still burning manor, the other toward him, toward the chapel.

A loud whoop escaped him, and he found himself jumping up and down while still waving the torch. 

“HERE! HERE! WE’RE OVER HERE!” he yelled out.

A large spot light landed on him, and he was forced to cover his eyes with his arm as he was suddenly blinded, but still, he waved at them, beckoning them closer.

The light went out, and after blinking away the spots, he saw the chopper land about twenty feet from him. He hurried over to them.

“Halt!” An armed man yelled at him, pointing a machine gun at him. “Identify yourself.”

“No time for that,” Kincade replied. “They’re in the chapel. They’re hurt. You need to get a med team in there now. She ordered me to get you.”

“She? M?” Another man slipped out of the chopper. “Is Bond all right?”

“No! Something’s very wrong with him,” Kincade told him. “He just collapsed and is having some sort of seizure.”

“Damn!” The man turned back to the chopper, which Kincade now saw was a medical transport vehicle. “007 is down! Grab the stretcher and the med kits, and let’s go! Time is of the essence.”

Kincade stepped out of the way, as the team of four men, and the one he’d been speaking to, rushed past him. He quickly followed after them.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Tears trickled down Olivia’s cheeks as she watched helplessly as James’ body continued to thrash on the chapel floor, and he cried out in pain.

“M?”

She looked up, cautious hope flaring when she saw Six’s head physician walking toward her, Kincade entering the chapel just behind him. “Doctor Aiken! Oh thank god. You have to help him. Please… I…”

Aiken knelt down next to James, and opened his med kit. “I’m going to do my best, ma’am. How long has he been like this?”

“Not long. Maybe ten minutes,” she told him, though for her, it had felt like an eternity. 

“All right.” He pulled a syringe out of his kit, and laid it on the floor next to the bag, then reached for James’ arm. “Christ! He’s soaking wet. What happened.”

“I think he fell into the lake,” Olivia replied. “Before he collapsed, he mentioned something about taking a spill.”

Aiken frowned as he tried to work the wet material up James’ arm. “That explains much, then.”

“What do you mean?”

“The cold water would have been one hell of a shock to his system, and exacerbated his condition,” he told her, then swore. He reached into the med kit again, this time removing a pair of scissors, then quickly cut away the sleeves of James’ jacket and shirt.

“What exactly _is_ his condition, Doctor?”

“He’s ageing, ma’am,” Aiken told her, picking up the syringe. Removing the cap, he tapped the syringe to force any bubbles up, then expelled the air. He slipped the needle into James’ arm, and injected the contents.

“What is that?” Olivia asked, ignoring the way everything around her was suddenly spinning.

“Morphine,” Aiken replied, as he withdrew the needle, capped it, then tossed it back into the kit. He glanced up at her. “M, I need you to move back out of the way now so we can get him stabilized.”

Olivia’s gaze returned to James. He’d stopped thrashing about, although he continued to moan, his face contorted with pain.

“Ma’am, please.”

“Come on, lass.”

She looked back to find Kincade standing behind her.

“You need to let them help James.”

Olivia nodded, then turned back to James. She brushed her fingers against his temple, then slowly got to her feet. She took a couple, shaky steps backwards, then without warning, her legs gave out.

Kincade caught her.

“M!” Aiken exclaimed.

“She’s been shot,” Kincade told the younger man.

“Just stone fragments,” she muttered, then passed out.

Kincade looked down at the woman in his arms, then to the doctor, worry in his eyes. 

“Wallace,” Aiken called out. “Look after M.”

“Yes, sir.” The medic hurried over to Kincade, and examined his superior. “She’s lost a lot of blood, Doctor. She’s going to need a transfusion, and soon.”

“Sir, do you know your blood type?”

“B plus,” Kincade answered.

“Good. M is AB positive. You can be a donor. Are you willing?”

“Absolutely.”

“Wallace, get them to the chopper, and get that started.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We’ll be right behind you.”

“Will you be able to help James?” Kincade asked the doctor.

“We’re going to try.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Tanner kept pace with Mallory as the two men hurried through the corridors, on their way to medical.

The choppers carrying M and 007 had touched down at Northolt fifty minutes ago, and had just arrived at Six a few minutes earlier.

They entered medical to find a flurry of activity.

“Report, doctor,” Mallory said, spotting Aiken.

“No time,” the doctor called back, rushing past him.

Mallory glanced at Tanner, and the two shared worried looks

“Sir.” Tanner tapped Mallory on the arm, then pointed to the far corner of the room where an unfamiliar older man stood, rolling and pulling anxiously on his cap.

They crossed over to him.

“Excuse me,” Mallory said. “You are?”

The older man turned. “Kincade. Gamekeeper at Skyfall.”

“Sky…” Mallory’s voice trailed off.

Kincade nodded. “Aye.”

“So, you know James?”

“And Olivia. James and I grew up together, and I met Olivia when they were first together,” he told them. 

“Can you tell us what happened?” Tanner asked.

Kincade took a deep breath. “They almost lost him,” he said in low voice. “Twice, on the way here, he went into cardiac arrest.”

Mallory reached out to lay a hand on the older man’s shoulder. “But he’s still with us,” he told him gently.

“Yes.”

“I know this is difficult, but we need to know happened out there.

Kincade nodded. “Aye. And I’ll do my best to tell you what I know.”

“Why don’t we go sit down,” Tanner suggested, gesturing toward Aiken’s office. “I’ll get some coffee.”

“If you could see your way to finding something a little stronger, I wouldn’t say no,” Kincade said.

Tanner glanced at Mallory, who gave him a slight nod. “I’ll see what I can find,” Tanner replied, then left medical as Mallory guided Kincade to Aiken’s office.

Fifteen minutes later, Kincade raised the tumbler of amber liquid to his lips, and took a long swallow. Another small sip followed, then he closed his eyes, and cradled the glass to his chest.

A few moments later, he took a deep breath, then opened his eyes. “Thank you, lad,” he said, looking at Tanner, then turned his attention to Mallory. “So what would you like to know?”

“Everything you can tell us about what happened.”

The corner of Kincade’s mouth turned up in a wry smile. “We’re going to need a larger pot of coffee,” he raised the tumbler, “and perhaps a wee bit more whiskey.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Silva had Olivia, had a gun pressed to her temple, and was going to force her to kill them both,” Kincade told them. “That’s when James appeared in the chapel. He threw my knife clear across the room, striking Silva in the back. I forgot he’d grabbed it.” Kincade shook his head at the memory. “It was a hell of a shot.”

“What happened next?”

“Silva released Olivia, then turned and staggered toward James. He collapsed, then died,” Kincade said, his expression growing sad and fearful. “That’s also when James had that attack.” He paused, then continued in a hushed voice. “Poor Olivia was frantic with worry.”

“She had every reason to be.”

All three turned to find Aiken standing in the doorway.

“If we hadn’t arrived when we did, 007 would be dead,” Aiken told them.

“His condition?” Mallory asked.

“Grave,” Aiken replied. “We have him sedated for the moment, and on a morphine drip, and I’m afraid that’s all we can do at the moment.”

“Mr. Kincade mentioned that Bond went into cardiac arrest while en route back to Six.”

Aiken nodded. “Yes. Twice. We were fortunate enough to get him back both times.”

“And M?” Tanner asked.

“She’s going to be fine,” he answered. “She lost a of blood, but thanks to Mr. Kincade here, we were to stabilize her for the trip home. We had to remove several stone fragments from her hip, then clean and close the wound, and we are keeping a close eye on her, but I don’t foresee any complications.”

Tanner breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear.”

Aiken allowed a small smile. “She’s resting comfortably now.”

“Back to 007,” Mallory said. “You said he was sedated.”

“Yes.”

“What are your plans for his treatment?”

“Q and I have been poring over Dr. Newman’s notes, but we’ve not found anything more that can help us beyond what we already knew. However, we both agree that our best course of action is to simply manage Bond’s pain. We’ll sedate him if necessary, but all we can really do is try to keep him comfortable while his body goes through the changes.”

“You and Q said you would have a treatment plan in place,” Mallory said.

“This is the treatment plan,” Aiken told him. “There is no precedent for something like this. We have no basis on which to formulate treatment. All we can do is what we’re doing.”

Mallory glanced at Tanner, who gave a barely imperceptible shrug of his shoulders, then returned his attention to Aiken. “Very well. Keep me updated.”

“I will, sir.”

“Also, I would like you to keep M and Bond in the same room.”

“Sir?”

“Just a feeling, Doctor. Something tells me it will be better for both of them to be close together.”

“That it will,” Kincade said softly.

“Very well, sir. I’ll have M’s bed moved into 007’s room right away.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

Aiken smiled. “If that is all, I am going to return to my patients.”

Mallory nodded.

With a glance at each of the three men, Aiken left his office.

“We should call Amanda,” Tanner said. “She deserves to be told about her parents.”

“I agree,” Mallory replied, then turned to Kincade. “You are welcome to stay here, or we can put you up in a hotel.”

“I’ll stay here if it’s not too much trouble,” Kincade said. 

“No trouble at all. Mr. Tanner will make the arrangements, and we will assign you a guard,” Mallory told him.

“A guard… ah, yes. Secret Service and all that.”

A hint of a smile touched Mallory’s lips as he nodded.

“All right.”

“Thank you, Mr. Kincade.”

“Nothing to thank me for,” Kincade replied. “I understand there are rules. Besides, I wish to stay close to James and Olivia.”

“I understand,” Mallory said, then turned to Tanner. “Will you look after our guest.”

“Of course.” Tanner nodded, then turned to Kincade. “If you’ll come with me, I’ll get you settled.”

“Can we… can we stop in to see James and Olivia?” Kincade asked.

Tanner glanced at Mallory.

“If it’s okay with the Doctor, I don’t see why not.”

“Thank you.” Kincade gave him a grateful smile. He looked to Tanner. “Lead the way, lad.”

“When you’ve got Mr. Kincade settled, meet me in M’s office.”

“Yes, sir.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Are they really going to be all right?” Kincade asked in a quiet voice, as he, Tanner, and Doctor Aiken stood in the hospital room where Olivia and James were recovering.

“M will make a full recovery,” Aiken told him, repeating his earlier report.

“But what about James?”

“I honestly don’t know,” Aiken replied, with a sad shake of his head.

“If James doesn’t make it…” Kincade’s voice trailed off.

“Olivia will be devastated.”

“Q!” Tanner said, turning to look at the older Quartermaster as he rolled into the room.

“Aye.” Kincade nodded. “I don’t think she could bear to lose him again.”

“No,” Geoffrey agreed, then held his hand out to the gamekeeper. “It’s good to see you again. I just wish it were under better circumstances.”

“Likewise,” Kincade replied, shaking Geoffrey’s hand. “Do you think he’ll make it?”

“We’re doing everything we can,” Geoffrey told him. “And James is a fighter. He survived forty-one years being frozen, he will survive this.”

“Olivia will kick his arse if he doesn’t,” Kincade remarked with a grin.

“Precisely.” Geoffrey nodded, a hint of a smile on his face.

“I hate to cut the visit short,” Aiken said. “But it’s been a long day, and I am sure we could all do with a little sleep.”

Everyone nodded, then quietly left the room.

“Doctor,” Kincade began.

“Yes, Mr. Kincade. You may come back tomorrow.”

Kincade smiled. “Thank you.”

“Sir.” Tanner turned to Kincade.

“Coming, lad.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“I hope this is all right.”

Kincade stood in the middle of the room Tanner had assigned to him, and slowly turned around. “It’s more than all right. Thank you, Mr. Tanner.”

“And if you like, I am sure we can find you something to wear so we can have your clothes cleaned for you.”

“That would be greatly appreciated.”

Tanner smiled. “I’ll go, then, and see what I can find.”

Kincade nodded.

Tanner left.

Kincade wandered over to the chair in the corner of the room, then sank down onto it. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and placed his face in his hands. He sighed deeply, and said a silent prayer for James and Olivia.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Is Mr. Kincade settled?”

“Yes, sir,” Tanner replied, as he entered M’s office. “I found him a change of clothes, and will be sending his out to be cleaned. I thought it the least we could do.”

Mallory nodded his agreement.

“And you, sir… sorry, Gareth,” Tanner corrected himself at Mallory’s pointed look. “Will you be staying on base again?”

“Will you be staying?” Gareth asked instead of answering.

Tanner nodded. “Yes. I want to be on hand if M needs me.”

Mallory smiled. “I figured that would be the case,” he said. “And yes, I will be staying here again.”

“So, what was it you wanted to see me about?”

The smile left Mallory’s face as he adopted a more solemn expression. “I have high hopes that Bond will recover, however, without meaning to sound morbid --”

“You want to have a plan in place just in case he doesn’t,” Tanner finished for him.

“Yes.”

“I think it’s a good idea,” Tanner replied. “It would ease the burden on M.”

“You care about her a lot.”

A small smile curled the corners of Bill’s lips as he nodded. “I do. She’s been a good boss.”

“She must be to inspire such loyalty.”

“She’s good at what she does, and she genuinely cares about those of us working under her, especially the agents, and even more so the Double Os. She is very protective of her agents.”

“Having been one herself, it’s understandable.”

Tanner nodded his agreement, then fought against a sudden yawn. “Sorry about that.”

“No.” Mallory shook his head. “I’m the one who should apologize. It’s late, we’re both tired. We can take care of this in the morning.”

“Are you sure. I don’t mind staying.”

“I’m sure,” Mallory said, stifling a yawn of his own.

Tanner chuckled. “Yes, you are.”

The two shared amused looks.

“Come on, Tanner,” Mallory said, heading for the office door, Tanner following. “Let’s go to bed.”

Both men stopped.

Gareth turned back to face Bill. “What I meant was --”

“I know,” Bill responded in a quiet voice, meeting the taller man’s eyes. “Would it affect our working relationship if I said I want you to mean something else?”

Mallory’s gaze grew heated, and he shook his head.

Tanner smiled.

“So, your room or mine?”

“Mine,” Tanner replied. “The bed’s bigger.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Olivia moaned softly.

Christ, I hurt, she thought, slowly opening her eyes.

As everything came into focus, she realized she was in one of Six’s recovery rooms.

James! Her mind suddenly cried out, and she made a move to sit up, but fell back against the bed, as pain lanced through her hip.

She reached down in an attempt to soothe the ache, and encountered a bandage. It was then she also felt the IV in the top of her hand.

A low groan to her right reached her ears, and she turned her head sharply.

“James!” Olivia gasped.

He was lying in a hospital bed surrounded by monitors. He was strapped down, a myriad of sensors and tubes attached to his body.

He groaned again in obvious pain.

Ignoring her own pain, Olivia rolled herself into a sitting position, then carefully slipped off the bed. She gasped as her feet came into contact with the cold floor, then reached out to grab the IV pole.

Slowly and carefully, she shuffled across the floor toward James. Reaching his bed, she leaned against the railing, and gazed down at him.

“Oh, James,” she whispered.

He’d aged at least ten years since she’d seen him last, looking now like a man in his late forties.

“Oh, my love, what is happening to you?”

“He’s ageing.”

Geoffrey’s voice answered from the doorway.

“It’s because of his extended say in the cryotube, isn’t it?” Olivia asked her old friend as he approached her in his electric wheelchair.

“Yes,” Geoffrey replied when he reached her side. “His cells are effectively playing catch up.”

“Is he…” She swallowed back the sudden lump that formed in her throat. “Is he going to be okay?”

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Geoffrey told her. “But you know James. He’s a fighter.”

“Yes, he is.”

“So are you,” Geoffrey said. “But you shouldn’t be out of bed. And you, most certainly, should not be standing yet.”

Olivia sighed.

“Olivia, please.”

“All right.”

She leaned over and brushed her lips over James’ lips in a soft kiss, then straightened up, and allowed Geoffrey to guide her back to her bed. He raised the head of the bed, and a loan moan of relief escaped her as she settled back onto the mattress.

“Tell me what happened. The last thing I remember is being in the chapel with James, and the med-team arriving,” Olivia said.

“You’d lost a lot of blood, and passed out. They gave you a transfusion on the helicopter,” Geoffrey told her. “For that, you can thank Kincade. He was your donor.”

“I’ll be sure to do that.”

“The doctors removed several stone fragments from your hip, then closed the wounds,” Geoffrey continued. “Thankfully, there was not a lot of damage. Your blood just wasn’t clotting, which is why you lost so much.”

“And James?”

Geoffrey glanced over at his friend.

“We nearly lost him,” he said in a low voice. “According to Aiken, James went into cardiac arrest twice while en route back to Six. But they got him back. Right now, he’s sedated. It was the only way to help alleviate his pain.”

“And the straps?”

“Are for his protection. He keeps experiencing seizures; each one more violent than the one before it.”

“What are you doing to help him?”

“All we can to do is monitor him, and try to keep his pain at tolerable levels,” Geoffrey told her. “There isn’t much else we can do, I’m afraid. His body is going through a physiological change brought on by an unusually long cryogenic sleep. No human has ever gone through this.”

“So we’re flying blind.”

“Yes.”

Olivia turned her head to look at James.

“He won’t leave you if he can help it, Olivia.”

“I know,” she whispered.

An ear-piercing alarm suddenly shrieked to life as James’ body began to thrash against the straps securing him to the hospital bed.

“James!”


	18. Chapter 18

Olivia struggled against Geoffrey as he gripped her shoulders, and kept her pinned to the bed. 

“Let me go!”

“No! You’ll only be in the way!”

“But James --”

“Is in good hands,” Geoffrey cut her off, as Aiken and his team ran into the room. “Olivia, please. Let the doctor do his job.”

She fought against his hold for a few more seconds, but even in his wheelchair, one arm in a cast, he was able to prevent her from leaving the bed. Olivia grunted in annoyance, and turned her head, watching anxiously as James continued to jerk about. She felt tears spring to her eyes when, even sedated, James cried out in pain.

Geoffrey reached for and squeezed her hand, offering her what little comfort he could.

What felt like hours later, but was actually less than fifteen minutes, Olivia watched as James’ body finally quieted and dropped back to the bed. Her body mirrored his, sinking into the mattress in a mixture of relief and exhaustion.

She closed her eyes, taking a moment to calm her still frantically beating heart.

“How are you feeling, M?”

Olivia opened her eyes at Aiken’s softly spoken question.

“My hip hurts, but I understand you had to remove several stone fragments, so it only makes sense,” Olivia answered. “How’s James? He’s all I care about.”

“He’s fine for the moment. Stable,” Aiken replied. “I assume Q told you the rest?”

“Yes. Are you certain there is nothing more you can do for him?”

Aiken nodded sadly. “All we can do is monitor his pain, and if it gets too bad, I may induce coma, but I would prefer to do so only as a last resort.”

“If…” she began then stopped. “ _When _he makes it through this, when his body stops ageing, will he be all right?”__

__“We have no way of knowing for sure, ma’am,” Aiken answered her honestly. “But I see no reason to think otherwise.”_ _

__Olivia nodded._ _

__“We just have to think positive,” Geoffrey told her. “James is going to be all right.”_ _

__“Yes, he is,” she agreed quietly._ _

__“You should rest, ma’am,” Aiken said. “I won’t lie to you; the next several days are going to be rough. You will need your strength.”_ _

__“I know,” Olivia replied._ _

__“If you need anything, just press the call button.”_ _

__“Thank you, Doctor.”_ _

__“M.” He inclined his head, then turned and walked out of the room._ _

__“I’m going also,” Geoffrey told her. “I’m staying on base, and the doctors are looking after me as well.”_ _

__“I was planning to ask you about that. I was under the impression you weren’t allowed to leave the hospital yet.”_ _

__“I checked myself out. You and James need me.”_ _

__Olivia gave him an affectionate smile. “And we appreciate it.”_ _

__Geoffrey grasped her hand, and gave it a gentle, affectionate squeeze. “If you need anything…”_ _

__“I’ll ring you.”_ _

__Geoffrey squeezed her hand again. “See that you do.”_ _

__With that, Geoffrey backed his wheelchair up, then rolled out of the room._ _

__Olivia waited a few minutes, then sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She eased herself off the bed, then made her way carefully to the corner of the room where she’d spotted a chair. She dragged it, and her IV, over to James’ bed, then sat down._ _

__She slipped her hand into his._ _

__“Fight this, James. Fight this, and come back to me.”_ _

__**~*007*~M~*007*~** _ _

__“M.”_ _

__Olivia opened her eyes, then sat up with a start._ _

__“Ow!” she groaned, as her back and hip protested having been in the same uncomfortable position for so long._ _

__“Serves you right.”_ _

__She glared at Geoffrey._ _

__“You were told to get some rest.”_ _

__“I _was_ resting.”_ _

__“Proper rest,” Geoffrey admonished her. “You aren’t doing your hip any good sitting in that uncomfortable chair for hours on end.”_ _

__Olivia sighed. “I know. But I need to be with him.”_ _

__“You are with him. It’s why you were put in the same room.”_ _

__She shook her head. “It’s not enough.”_ _

__Olivia shifted in the chair, stretching a little in an attempt to ease some of the stiffness in her body from having fallen asleep hunched over against James’ bed._ _

__“I need to touch him, Geoffrey,” she told him. “I need for him to feel me touching him. I need to reassure myself he’s still here, and I need for him to know I’m here.”_ _

__“James knows that.”_ _

__“I know that here.” She tapped her temple, then lowered her hand to cover her heart. “But here is a different story.”_ _

__Geoffrey nodded._ _

__“I now know how James felt when I was in the coma,” she said in a quiet voice, “and I don’t like it.”_ _

__“Olivia.”_ _

__“I don’t like feeling helpless. I don’t like the uncertainty,” she continued as if she hadn’t heard him. She pulled herself up, so she was standing beside James’ bed, then reached out to cradle the side of his face. “I hate knowing that there is a real chance I may lose him…again. And I hate that there is nothing I can do about it. I understand now why James took Q up on his offer to go in the cryotube.”_ _

__Olivia looked back at Geoffrey._ _

__“It’s agony sitting here doing nothing, and it’s only been a day. I’m not sure I can do this, Geoffrey.”_ _

__“Yes you can,” he told her. “And you’ll have all of us here to support you.”_ _

__Olivia gave him a small, grateful smiled, then stepped over to him, and bent down to kiss his cheek. “Thank you.”_ _

__“You’re welcome. Now, would you please get back into that bed.”_ _

__“Yes, sir.”_ _

__Geoffrey snorted._ _

__Olivia could not help chuckling softly, as she slowly made her way back to her bed._ _

__Once she was settled, Geoffrey rolled closer, then reached out to grasp her hand._ _

__“You’re not alone in this, my dear.”_ _

__“I know.”_ _

__“Good. See that you remember that,” he told her. “Now, promise me you’ll stay put for a few hours at least, and try to get some sleep.”_ _

__“I promise.”_ _

__**~*007*~M~*007*~** _ _

__“Uncle Geoffrey!” Amanda smiled, and leaned down to hug him. “I’m so happy to see you. I’ve been so worried.”_ _

__“As you can see, I am perfectly fine,” Geoffrey replied._ _

__Amanda arched a brow in perfect imitation of her mother. “Yes, I can see that.”_ _

__Geoffrey chuckled, then smiled at Lacey as she slipped in between them to hug him as well. “It’s good to see you, too, Lacey.”_ _

__“How’s mum?” Amanda asked._ _

__Geoffrey shook his head._ _

__“That bad?”_ _

__“I’m afraid so,” he said. “I’m also afraid, that if your father doesn’t pull through…”_ _

__“You think she’ll die of a broken heart?”_ _

__Geoffrey nodded._ _

__“She loves him that much.”_ _

__Geoffrey and Amanda looked at Lacey._ _

__“What? I’m not blind. Grandy never stopped loving Grandpa.”_ _

__“No. She never did,” Geoffrey agreed._ _

__“And to lose him again would kill her,” Amanda said softly._ _

__“Your father’s a fighter. He’s not going to leave her without a fight.”_ _

__“May we see them?”_ _

__“Of course,” Geoffrey replied, then spun his chair around. “Follow me.”_ _

__**~*007*~M~*007*~** _ _

__“What’s happening to him?” Amanda asked her uncle in a low voice as they stood outside the door to her parents’ room, watching as Lacey quietly approached her grandmother._ _

__“He’s ageing.”_ _

__“What? I though being that cryotube was to keep that from happening.”_ _

__“While he was inside it, yes.”_ _

__Amanda frowned, then watched as Olivia stood to embrace her granddaughter. She caught her mother’s eyes over her daughter’s shoulder._ _

__“She really is afraid he’s not going to make it,” Amanda murmured._ _

__“Yes, Amanda, she is.”_ _

__Amanda glanced down at him, then walked into the room. She moved quickly to her mother’s side, and embraced her as Lacey released her. “I’m so glad you’re all right. We were worried.”_ _

__Stepping out of her daughter’s embrace, Olivia reached up to cup Amanda’s cheek. “I know.”_ _

__“How’s dad?” Amanda asked, turning to look at her father’s prone form._ _

__Olivia turned back to James. “Resting for the moment.”_ _

__“He looks at least twenty years older than when we last saw him,” Lacey commented from the other side of James’ bed. “But he’s still quite handsome.”_ _

__“Yes he is,” Olivia agreed._ _

__“And how are you, mum?” Amanda gave her a concerned look._ _

__“I’m…” her voice trailed off, then she sighed. “I’m as well as you’d expect.”_ _

__Amanda reached out for her mother’s hand, and grasped it tightly. Olivia returned the gentle pressure, then gave her daughter a grateful smile._ _

__“Grandpa’s going to make it, Grandy,” Lacey told her._ _

__Olivia looked over at her granddaughter._ _

__“He loves you too much to leave you.”_ _

__“I hope you’re right, Lacey,” Olivia said softly, sinking down into her chair. “I hope you’re right.”_ _

__**~*007*~M~*007*~** _ _

__Olivia lay curled up on her side, crying softly; her tears trickling down the side of her face into the pillow as she stared at James._ _

__He’d endured yet another seizure._ _

__A bad one._ _

__So bad, that after Aiken and his team had stabilized him, he’d slipped into a coma._ _

__A coma._ _

__Aiken, before he’d left, had informed her that he wasn’t certain when or if James would wake up._ _

__Olivia had simply nodded at him, and after he’d left, she’d curled up on the bed and wept; deep, soul-wrenching sobs that had eventually given way to soft hiccoughs and stuttering breaths._ _

__Her heart ached with the knowledge that she could lose him._ _

__Again._ _

__And this time for good._ _

__“Oh god…” she breathed, feeling fresh tears begin to well in her eyes._ _

__“Olivia?”_ _

__Olivia swiped at the tears as she uncurled her body, then sat up to look at her visitor._ _

__“If this is a bad time?”_ _

__“Not at all,” Olivia replied with a sad smile. “It’s good to see you, Lois.”_ _

__Lois Moneypenny smiled, and stepped inside the room. “I wish it was under better circumstances,” she said, reaching Olivia’s bedside._ _

__The two women embraced._ _

__“So do I,” Olivia told her._ _

__“I hope you don’t mind my coming in.”_ _

__“Of course not.”_ _

__“When Eve told me James was alive, I couldn’t believe it.”_ _

__“I know the feeling.”_ _

__Lois patted her knee. “I can’t even begin to imagine how you felt. It must have been quite a shock for you.”_ _

__“It was,” Olivia replied softly. “When I walked into Q’s office and saw him, I couldn’t believe it was him. He looked exactly as I remembered seeing him last.”_ _

__“How did he convince you it was him?”_ _

__Olivia looked up her old friend, a small smile playing on her lips. “He kissed me.”_ _

__Lois chuckled. “Sounds like James.”_ _

__“Yes.”_ _

__“What is his prognosis?”_ _

__Olivia’s gaze returned to James. “He’s in a coma, and Aiken’s not certain if he’ll wake up.”_ _

__“I’m sorry, Olivia.”_ _

__Olivia shook her head. “He’ll wake up. James promised me he wouldn’t leave me again.”_ _

__“Then he _will_ wake up,” Lois said, then leaned back against Olivia’s bed, and crossed her arms. “So, how is it being with a younger man?”_ _

__“Lois!”_ _

__The former secretary laughed._ _

__“Besides, James is older than I am.”_ _

__“Now you’re just being facetious.”_ _

__Olivia smirked._ _

__Lois nudged her shoulder. “Well?”_ _

__A slow smile spread across Olivia’s face, as she met Lois’ eyes._ _

__“That good, huh?”_ _

__Olivia nodded._ _

__**~*007*~M~*007*~** _ _

__Olivia sat beside James’ hospital bed, clutching his hand in hers, talking quietly to him._ _

__The last week had been sheer torture._ _

__She’d watched his body convulse in pain as his cells fought their battle inside him, for three days, and then this nothingness of the coma._ _

__He’d not moved a muscle in a week._ _

__“Lois came to visit the other day,” Olivia told him. “She was surprised and pleased to hear you’d come back. She’s missed your flirting.”_ _

__Her voice trailed off._ _

__The only sound in the room was that of the machines keeping James alive._ _

__She had learned to hate those machines._ _

__The sounds – the beeps of the monitors, the hiss of the ventilator – had started to grate on her nerves._ _

__She was grateful for them. They were keeping James alive._ _

__But oh, she had grown to hate them so much._ _

__Olivia lifted his hand to her face, brushing her temple against the backs of his fingers._ _

__“You have to fight this, James. You have to stay strong, and fight this,” she told him. “I can’t lose you now. Not now. I need you too much.”_ _

__She reached out with her free hand, and cradled the side of his face._ _

__“You said we were going to have a serious talk about our future when you returned. I’m holding you to that. So wake up. Wake up, so we can have that talk. Wake up so you can finally make an honest woman of me, and marry me already. I’ve waited far too long to have your name, James, and to be your wife.”_ _

__Olivia nuzzled his palm, as she continued to hold his hand against the side of her face._ _

__“Please, James…” Olivia pleased with the comatose man. “You have to wake up.”_ _

__She brushed her fingers against his temple in conscious imitation of the caress he favoured giving her, lightly tracing the lines that had appeared in the last few days as his body aged._ _

__His face was no longer young as it had been when Geoffrey had removed him from the cryotube and revived him. Now, James looked as old as she did._ _

__But he’s still a handsome devil, she thought, continuing to finger the lines at his temple._ _

__“I need you to wake up,” Olivia said softly, as she continued to nuzzle his palm, and whispered against his skin, “I miss you so much.”_ _

__She closed her eyes against the tears, against the pain in her heart._ _

__It had only been a week and a half since the confrontation with Silva at Skyfall. A week and a half of James lying in this hospital bed – comatose._ _

__It felt longer._ _

__She pressed another kiss to his palm._ _

__Aiken had been in earlier, and Olivia had seen in the young man’s expression that he was not holding out much hope that James would come out of the coma._ _

__And as much as Olivia hated to admit it, she was beginning to lose hope as well. With each hiss of the ventilator, each beep of the monitors, another minute passed that James was not awake; another minute he slipped further away._ _

__The thought of James never waking up terrified her._ _

__Even losing him before had not hurt as much as the thought of losing him now._ _

__She pressed his fingers to her temple once again. “Please wake up,” she whispered. “I need you, James.”_ _

__Olivia sighed deeply after several minutes, then still holding his hand against the side of her face, she leaned forward to rest her head on his stomach and closed her eyes._ _

__Moments later, she sat back up and stared at him._ _

__She’d felt his fingers twitch against her temple._ _

__“James?”_ _

__She felt his fingers move again, and saw his eyelids flutter._ _

__“Oh god!” Olivia rose up from her chair, and leaned over him. “That’s it, James, open your eyes.”_ _

__His eyes opened, then closed immediately._ _

__“Again! Come on, James. Do it again. Open your eyes!” She squeezed his hand._ _

__His eyes opened and closed a few more times._ _

__“That’s it, you can do it. Wake up, James. Come back to me.”_ _

__His eyes slowly opened, and much to her relief, they stayed open this time._ _

__“Welcome back, my love,” Olivia said softly, smiling tenderly at him. “Now, lie still while I call Aiken to remove the breathing tube.”_ _

__James nodded and squeezed her hand, as she reached for the call button._ _

__“A week and half,” she answered the question in his eyes. “You fell into the coma a few days ago.” She cradled the side of his face, then leaned down to press a lingering kiss to his forehead in response to the sadness she saw fill his eyes. “It’s all right. It doesn’t matter now,” she said softly, raising her head. “You’re awake. You’re all right. That’s all that matters.”_ _

__He nodded again._ _

__“M, what’s wrong?” Aiken called out, as he hurried into the room. He stopped short, and a large smile broke across his face. He walked over to the bed. “Welcome back, 007.” He looked at Olivia. “When did he wake up?”_ _

__“Just a few moments before I rang for you.”_ _

__Aiken nodded, then turned back to James. “Let’s get that tube out, shall we.”_ _

__James nodded, a grateful expression on his face, as Aiken began to carefully remove the tape holding the breathing tube securely between his lips._ _

__“Now, relax,” he said, once he had all the tape removed. “I am going to slowly remove the breathing tube. I need you to exhale as I do that, then once it’s out, take a slow, deep breath. All right?”_ _

__James did as Aiken instructed, exhaling as the tube was gently pulled out of his throat, then slowly inhaled._ _

__He broke into a coughing fit._ _

__Aiken grabbed the glass of water from the nearby table, and angled it down to place the straw against James’ lips. “Small sips,” he instructed._ _

__James took a couple small sips, then turned his head._ _

__“Better?”_ _

__“Yes,” James croaked out. “Wha… what…”_ _

__Aiken held up his hand. “We’ll answer all your questions later. First things first. I need to examine you to make sure everything’s all right.” He turned to Olivia._ _

__“I’m not leaving,” Olivia told him before he could utter a word._ _

__Aiken sighed. “I didn’t think you would. But I will ask that you stay over there,” he gestured to her bed, “until I’m finished.”_ _

__Olivia nodded. “All right.”_ _

__She leaned down, and brushed a kiss against James’ lips, then straightened up. She crossed over to the bed, sat on the edge, then watched as Aiken examined James._ _

__“Are you in any pain?”_ _

__“No,” James answered in a rough voice. “But I feel like I went several rounds with a double decker bus.”_ _

__“Understandable. Your body has undergone a lot of physical changes.”_ _

__“What kind?”_ _

__“To put it simply, your cells have made up for lost time,” Aiken told him. “You’ve aged.”_ _

__James’ brows rose. “I’ve what?”_ _

__“You’ve aged,” Aiken repeated. “Your body has physically caught up with your chronological age.”_ _

__“So I’m…”_ _

__“Seventy-three years old in every way, yes.” The doctor nodded._ _

__James did not reply._ _

__“I’m going to keep you here for another day or two, just to be certain your cells have stabilized.”_ _

__“Okay.”_ _

__“I’d also like you to try getting out of bed at some point, and move around. Nothing too strenuous, however. Just a circuit or two around the room should be fine.”_ _

__James nodded._ _

__“Does that include taking a shower?” Olivia asked, as she slipped off the bed, and crossed over to James’ side._ _

__“I don’t see why not,” Aiken replied after a moment’s consideration. “As long as he’s not alo…” His voice trailed off at the look M gave him. “Uhm, right. Yes, not a problem,” he finished, a furious blush creeping up his face at the now-amused expression on M’s face._ _

__“Good.”_ _

__“Is there anything you need or want?” he asked, glancing between them both._ _

__James shook his head._ _

__“Fresh scrubs would be nice,” Olivia told him. “For both of us.”_ _

__Aiken nodded. “I’ll also see about having some food brought in for you both as well.”_ _

__“That would be lovely. Thank you, Doctor.”_ _

__“You’re welcome, ma’am,” he replied, then reached out to pat James’ arm. “Welcome back, 007.”_ _

__“Thank you,” James said in a quiet voice._ _

__Aiken inclined his head, then left._ _

__“Is it true?”_ _

__“Is what true?” she asked, as she sat on the edge of his bed._ _

__“Have I really aged?”_ _

__“Yes.” Olivia nodded. “And before you start feeling sorry for yourself, and worrying needlessly about how I feel about you; I’ll remind you what you said to me when I was feeling my age when you came back to me: when I look at you, I see the man I love.”_ _

__“Olivia…”_ _

__She held her hand up to stop him. “Shh!”_ _

__“I don’t care if your hair is now as white as mine.” She reached out to comb her fingers through his hair, much as he had done that first night. “It’s still so wonderfully thick, and I love running my fingers through it.” She traced the new, fine lines around his eyes with the tip of her finger. “I don’t care that you now have wrinkles,” she told him, cradling the side of his face. “None of that matters to me, James. Just as my white hair and wrinkles do not matter to you.”_ _

__James reached up to grasp her wrist, and drew her hand down to his lips. He kissed her palm. “What if I am no longer capable of making love to you?”_ _

__“Is that what’s worrying you?”_ _

__“Not the only thing, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t one of the concerns I have.”_ _

__“There is more to us than sex.”_ _

__“I know,” he said. “But we lost so many years together. Years I was hoping to make up to you.”_ _

__“You have nothing to make up for. Just being here, and being part of my life again is enough,” Olivia replied._ _

__“Are you telling me you won’t miss making love?”_ _

__“No.” She shook her head. She couldn’t tell him that. She would miss it. “I would miss it. I very much enjoy making love with you. I always have.”_ _

__A small smile touched his lips._ _

__“But something tells me,” she reached out with her free hand, and cupped his cock, smiling when she felt him twitch beneath her touch, “that won’t be a problem for us.”_ _

__James moaned low in his throat, covering her hand with his._ _

__Olivia laughed softly. “I think we’ll be fine in that department.”_ _

__“I think you’re right,” he replied, pressing her hand more firmly against him._ _

__She smiled, then stilled her hand, though she did not remove it. “What else is bothering you?”_ _

__James sighed, and absently stroked his thumb over the top of her hand._ _

__“James.”_ _

__“My mind is telling me I’m only thirty-two, but now my body is telling me I’m seventy-three,” he told her. “It’s a lot to process.”_ _

__“I know,” Olivia said. “But as you keep reminding me, we make one hell of a team.” She turned her hand over under his, and laced her fingers with his. “You’re not alone in this, James. I will be with you every step of the way.”_ _

__James squeezed her fingers. “I know.”_ _

__They shared a tender look._ _

__“Do you know what I would like more than anything else at this moment?” James said quietly._ _

__Olivia shook her head. “No. What?”_ _

__“Two things actually.”_ _

__“And they are?”_ _

__“First, I would really like for you to kiss me properly.”_ _

__A knowing smile blossomed across her face. “That I can do,” she murmured, as she shifted closer, then leaned over him and brushed her lips over his in a teasing caress._ _

__“Olivia!” James growled, when she repeated the action._ _

__She laughed lightly before covering his mouth with hers, not surprised when he immediately parted his lips, and deepened the kiss. Low moans sounded between them, as James cupped the back of her head, and held her close._ _

__After several minutes, the kiss slowly tapered off, and they rested their foreheads together, panting softly._ _

__“Much better,” James murmured._ _

__Olivia hummed her agreement._ _

__“And second?”_ _

__“Find me a mirror. I want to see how I look.”_ _

__Olivia raised her head, and nodded. “All right. I’ll go find one.”_ _

__“Thank you.”_ _

__She smiled, leaned in to kiss him again, then slipped off the bed, and walked to the door. Pausing in the doorway, she looked back at him._ _

__“For the record, you are still quite the handsome devil,” Olivia told him, then left._ _

__James grinned._ _

__**~*007*~M~*007*~** _ _

__James opened his eyes when he heard approaching footsteps, and smiled when Olivia walked into the room. He frowned when he spotted an unfamiliar nurse right behind her._ _

__“I thought you were finding a mirror,” he said, noticing that instead of a mirror in her hands, she held what appeared to be a robe._ _

__“I was,” she replied, stepping over to the bed. “I ran into Doctor Aiken, and I asked him, since he wants to keep us here for a few more days, if we could move to the guest quarters here on base. He agreed.”_ _

__“You make it sound so easy. Surely he did not give in that easily?”_ _

__“He didn’t.”_ _

__“You pulled rank.”_ _

__She nodded, then turned to the nurse. “If you please.”_ _

__“Yes, M,” the young woman replied, then stepped over to the bed. She carefully removed James’ IV, followed by the electrodes._ _

__James glanced over at Olivia to find her watching the nurse, and was suddenly grateful he hadn’t been given a catheter._ _

__“All finished, M.”_ _

__Olivia favoured the nurse with a smile. “Thank you, Cynthia.”_ _

__The nurse nodded, then left._ _

__“So, the robe?” James asked._ _

__“I figured you wouldn’t let me push you in a wheelchair, even though it would be easier.”_ _

__He shook his head._ _

__“And, I did not think you’d want to wander around Six with your arse hanging out of your hospital gown.”_ _

__James shook his head again. “Good call.”_ _

__“That’s why I’m M,” Olivia deadpanned, placing the robe on the end of his bed. “That, and I do not want everyone else ogling your very delectable arse.”_ _

__He chuckled as he pushed the blanket aside._ _

__Olivia smiled as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. Before she could move out of the way, James caught her wrist, and tugged her so that she was standing between his legs._ _

__James grasped her other hand, and held both to his chest as he gazed into her eyes._ _

__“What?” she asked softly._ _

__James released her left hand, then reached up to brush the backs of his fingers against her temple. “I love you,” he said softly._ _

__Olivia leaned into him, sliding her hand up to cradle the side of his neck, her thumb stroking his jaw. “I love you, too. I am so glad you’ve come back to me.” She smiled. “Again.”_ _

__James smiled as he curled his hand around the back of her head, and drew her mouth to his. He traced the seam of her lips with his tongue, humming his approval when she parted them, and flicked her tongue out to meet his._ _

__They kissed slowly, their arms slipping around each other, pulling each other closer as the kiss deepened. Oliva moaned when she felt his cock hard against her, and broke off the kiss with a gasp._ _

__“No,” she panted. “I don’t think we have to worry at all.”_ _

__James chuckled, then caught her lips again, as he slid his hands down to grasp her arse._ _

__“Mmm… no!” Olivia ended the kiss, planting her hands on his chest when she felt him begin to lean back on the bed. “We can’t. Not here.”_ _

__“Does that mean we can continue this when we get to our quarters?” he asked, caressing her backside._ _

__Olivia laughed softly. “You have a one track mind.”_ _

__“It’s not my fault you’re so damned sexy.”_ _

__She shook her head fondly._ _

__James sighed in an over-dramatic fashion. “All right. I’ll behave.”_ _

__“See that you do,” she said, her eyes twinkling at him._ _

__Their playful banter felt good, and it filled her heart with happiness, as she realized she’d been so close to losing it again. A soft touch to her cheek caused her to blink, bringing her out of her thoughts to find James smiling at her._ _

__“Okay?”_ _

__“Yes.”_ _

__“You sure?”_ _

__Olivia nodded, then noticed he’d slipped his robe on. “Ready?”_ _

__“Lead on, MacDuff.”_ _

__Olivia raised an eyebrow._ _

__“Yeah, yeah, I know,” he said, as he stood._ _

__She laughed again, and slipped her arm around his middle. “We’ll take it slow, all right?”_ _

__James nodded._ _

__“And, if you get tired I expect you tell me so we can rest. I don’t want you pushing yourself. Not after everything your body’s endured. Don’t make me regret not grabbing a wheelchair.”_ _

__“I promise,” he replied, draping his arms over her shoulders. “And damned be him that first cries, ‘Hold, enough!’.”_ _

__“Not funny, James.”_ _

__He chuckled as they slowly walked out of the room._ _

__**~*007*~M~*007*~** _ _

__The door swung open, and James and Olivia stepped into the room._ _

__A few moments later, James lowered himself down onto the bed with a groan. “Shit! I didn’t expect the walk from Medical to take so much out of me,” he admitted, then leaned forward, resting his head against her breasts, as she stood in front of him._ _

__Olivia carded her fingers through his hair. “You did just wake up from a coma. We should have got you a wheelchair.”_ _

__He shook his head against her. “Aiken did say to move about.” His voice was muffled._ _

__“He also said nothing too strenuous.”_ _

__“Guess making love is out.”_ _

__Olivia chuckled softly. “Postponed at least.”_ _

__James nuzzled her breasts, and slipped his arms loosely around her._ _

__“Do you feel up for taking a shower?” she asked him, as she continued to slide her fingers through his short white hair._ _

__“It means I get to see you naked and wet,” he said, a smile in his voice. “Yeah, I’m up for it.”_ _

__Olivia hummed, and leaned down to kiss the top of his head. She straightened up suddenly at the sound of a throat being cleared behind them._ _

__Looking back over her shoulder, she smiled to see Geoffrey grinning up at them from his wheelchair; Tanner, and Mallory standing behind him._ _

__“The door was open,” Geoffrey told her._ _

__Olivia acknowledged him with a nod._ _

__“Doctor Aiken told us our wayward agent had woken up,” Geoffrey said, rolling into the room, the other two following. “And I can see he’s well on his way to being his old self.”_ _

__“Old being the operative word,” James replied dryly, with a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips._ _

__She shook her head affectionately._ _

__“How are you feeling, James?” Geoffrey asked him._ _

__“All things considered, not bad,” James said. “And how are you doing, old man?”_ _

__“As well as can be expected,” Geoffrey replied, then leaned forward, his elbows resting on the arms of the wheelchair, his hands clasped together. “So, what happened out there?”_ _

__“We stopped Silva.”_ _

__“That much we know,” Mallory said. “How?”_ _

__James looked at Olivia. “You didn’t tell them?”_ _

__Olivia shook her head. “I’ve had other things on my mind.”_ _

__“Right,” he said, a sheepish expression on his face, which caused her to chuckle._ _

__Olivia turned to face the three men. “I know you’re all anxious to hear the details, but it will have to wait.”_ _

__“But --” Mallory began._ _

__Olivia raised her hand, stopping him. “The last time I checked, I was still the head of MI6. Our report of the events will wait another day. James just woke up from a coma, and he’s been through quite an ordeal physically, as you can see.”_ _

__Mallory conceded her point with a nod. “You’re right. My apologies.” He met James’ eyes. “To both of you.”_ _

__James inclined his head at the younger man, accepting his apology._ _

__“We will fully debrief in three days, providing Doctor Aiken gives James the all clear,” Olivia told him._ _

__“And you as well, ma’am,” Tanner said._ _

__A small smile touched her lips, and she nodded. “Yes. Me as well.”_ _

__“Well, Mr. Kincade has given us a fair bit of information already,” Mallory said. “We just need you an 007 to fill in the blanks.”_ _

__“Kincade’s here?” James asked._ _

__“Yes,” Olivia replied._ _

__“He helped save Olivia’s life,” Geoffrey told him._ _

__“What? How?” James looked at her._ _

__“I’ll explain after,” she said, then faced Mallory. “We will fill in those blanks during the debrief.”_ _

__“Thank you, M.”_ _

__“Now, if you gentlemen will excuse us. We both, James especially, need to rest. I promised the doctor we would as a condition to our being let out of Medical.”_ _

__Geoffrey, Tanner, and Mallory all nodded. Tanner and Mallory turned, and walked out of the room._ _

__Geoffrey held his hand out to Olivia. She placed her hand in his. “If you need anything, just ring.”_ _

__“Will do.”_ _

__He gave her an affectionate smile, then spun the wheelchair around, and rolled toward the door. Olivia followed._ _

__“Rest well,” Mallory told her._ _

__“Thank you.” Olivia closed the door, then leaned back against it. She looked across the room at James._ _

__“Alone at last.”_ _


	19. Chapter 19

Olivia closed the door, then leaned back against it. She looked across the room at James.

“Alone at last.”

“Thank god,” James said, smiling as she slowly sauntered toward him.

Stepping between his legs once she reached him, Olivia lifted her hand to run her fingers through his hair. With her other hand, she traced the lines around his eyes, gazing down at him.

“Feel up for that shower?”

He nodded.

Olivia stepped back, and held her hands out to him. Placing his hands in hers, he stood, then allowed her to pull him with her as she walked backwards to the bathroom. She stopped when she reached the door. Releasing one of his hands, she turned away as she reached inside to turn on the light.

“Oh.”

Olivia turned back to James to find him staring over her head. She followed his gaze, and saw that he was looking at himself in the mirror above the sink. She stepped aside as he slowly walked closer to the mirror.

James stared at his reflection.

His right hand came up, his fingers ghosting over the deeper lines at the corner of his eyes. He leaned in close to the mirror. “I really have aged,” he said in a soft voice. “I… I hadn’t quite believed it.”

Closing the bathroom door, Olivia stepped over to him, laid her hands on his back, and peered around his shoulder at him in the mirror as he ran his fingers through his hair.

“It’s so white.”

“I think it looks quite good on you.”

“Thank you,” he replied, his fingers returning to touch his face. They flitted over his forehead, his cheeks, touching all the new lines. “It’s just…” He shook his head.

“What?” She rubbed his back. “Talk to me, James.”

“It’s a lot to take in” he told her, meeting her eyes in the mirror. “I’m old.”

Olivia smiled tenderly at him, even as she nodded. 

“But I don’t feel old,” he repeated his earlier words to her.

“Welcome to the club, my love,” she said, in a light, teasing voice. She sobered quickly though, and laid her head against his bicep. “I know it’s a shock. It will just take some getting used to. But it doesn’t mean you still can’t do all the things you like to do.”

“Like make love to you?”

“Especially that.”

James turned away from the mirror, and slipped his arms around her. “I don’t know what I would do without you,” he said. “I know that’s selfish of me to say.”

“No, it’s --” 

James placed his finger against her lips to stop her protest. “Yes it is.”

“James,” she murmured against his finger, shaking her head.

“I was being selfish when I allowed Q to talk me into going inside the cryotube.”

“No you weren’t, James. Q played on your fear, on your feelings for me.” She grasped his wrist, and drew his hand away. “You need to forgive yourself for this, James.”

“Have you forgiven me?”

“Oh, James, there’s nothing to forgive,” Olivia told him, reaching up with her free hand to cradle the side of his face. “You’re the one who keeps beating yourself up about it. But if you need to hear me say it, then yes, I forgive you. Even our daughter forgives you.”

“She does?”

Olivia nodded.

“Did she actually say it?”

“Yes, she did. When she and Lacey came to visit,” Olivia said. “Amanda loves you James. She may have been angry when she was younger, but she loves you, and she forgives you.”

James smiled.

“And you know Lacey is crazy about you.”

His smile grew into a grin. “She’s a great kid.”

“She is.” Olivia nodded her agreement. “And for the record, Lacey’s grandmother is crazy about you, too.”

James rested his hands on her hips, careful not to place too much pressure on the still healing injury on her left hip. “I’m crazy about Lacey’s grandmother also.”

Olivia stroked her thumb against the corner of his mouth. “Do you feel better now?”

He nodded. “Thank you.”

“Ready to take that shower now?”

“Almost,” he replied, as he lowered his head, and pressed his lips to hers.

They shared a sweet, tender kiss.

“Now, I’m ready,” James murmured, raising his head.

Olivia shook her head in amusement, then moved out of his arms, and stepped over to the shower. She turned on the water, adjusting the temperature until it was just right, then turned back to James to find him slowly removing his clothes.

She reached for the bottom of the scrub top she wore, then pulled it up over her head, and tossed it aside. She reached for the bow securing the bottoms in place and tugged it loose before pushing them over her hips and down her legs.

Naked now, Olivia looked over at James, she found him staring at her with a hungry look in his eyes, and his hand on his cock, stroking lightly. She licked her lips, then smiled when he groaned. “What?” she asked with faux innocence.

“Just admiring the view,” he told her.

She looked him up and down, then licked her lips again. “Mmm… me too.”

“You’re a tease,” he growled playfully.

Olivia chuckled, then held out her hand. “Come on, our shower awaits.”

James let go of his cock, and placed his hand in hers. Olivia smiled, grasped his hand, and pulled him with her as she backed into the shower. Under the gentle spray of the water, they moved into each other’s arms, and simply held each other.

“This feels good,” James murmured.

“Yes it does.”

He smiled, then stroked his hands down her back and side, pausing when he encountered the bandage on her hip. He raised his head, and looked down at her.

“It’s a waterproof bandage,” she told him before he could ask.

“I wondered,” he said, then gathered her close once more, resting his cheek on the top of her head. “Does it hurt?”

“Not really. There’s a little twinge now and then, but mostly, it’s fine.”

“So, how did Kincade help save your life?” he asked.

“He gave me a blood transfusion on the helicopter.”

“You needed a transfusion?”

She nodded against his chest. “I lost a lot of blood.”

His hand drifted back down to her injured hip. “So they hooked you up to Kincade.”

“Yes. Doctor Aiken told me later, that the scarf you tied around me helped. I would have lost a lot more if you hadn’t insisted on putting the handkerchief there.”

“I’m glad we did that.”

“I am, too. Believe me,” she said, and felt his cheek bunch against the top of her head.

They continued to hold each other under the gentle fall of water.

“You do realize we cannot stay here like this indefinitely, don’t you?” Olivia murmured, several minutes later, amusement colouring her voice.

James nodded. “Shame really. I like you wet.”

Olivia laughed softly, then lifted her head. She reached up to push his hair off his forehead, brushing it back. Her eyes grew wide when James grasped her wrist, then drew her fingers to his lips.

He pressed a kiss to the sapphire ring. The ring he’d placed there forty-one years ago.

“Will you marry me, Olivia?” James asked softly. 

“Yes,” Olivia replied in an equally soft voice.

A brilliant smile lit James’ face.

“It’s about time you asked me,” she told him, her eyes twinkling.

James laughed. “And not the most romantic of settings either. I seem to have a knack for that. The first time I asked you, you were comatose. This time we’re naked in a shower.”

Olivia chuckled. “Just think of the shock value when they ask where and how you proposed, and we tell them.”

James laughed harder, pulling her closer. “I love you, Olivia. I have always loved you. I always will.”

“And I you, James. So very much.”

Their laughter died away as their mouths came together in a deep, passionate kiss. When James began to shuffle her back toward the shower wall, Olivia broke off the kiss. “James, we can’t,” she told him.

He sighed.

“Neither one of us have the strength to make love in the shower.”

“I know,” he replied, then reached past her for the shampoo. He held it up. “Shall I do the honours?”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

The bathroom door opened, and Olivia walked out wrapped in a towel. “We don’t have anything to wear,” she said over her shoulder, as she made her way to the phone on the stand next to the bed.

“The problem with that is what?” James asked, following after her with a towel secured around his waist. He sat on the end of the bed, grinning as she shook her head at him, and lifted the handset to her ear, then dialed.

“Doctor Aiken,” she began a few moments later, then paused. “Mmhmm. Yes.” Another pause. “Really?” A smile slowly appeared, and turned to James. “He’s left us some food, and a change of clothes just outside the door.”

James got up, and crossed the room.

“What?” Olivia asked Six’s physician, her eyes on James as he reached the door. She smiled. “Yes, we’re both doing well.” 

James opened the door, then glanced back at her and nodded.

“We’ve found it. Thank you, Doctor,” she said. “You too.”

Olivia returned the handset to the cradle as James stepped into the hall, then reappeared a few moments with a small tote bag slung over his shoulder, and carrying a covered tray. She hurried over to him. 

“Let me take that,” she offered, taking the tray from him.

“Thanks,” he said, and followed her over to the small desk in the corner. “Why didn’t Aiken just knock?”

“He did,” she said, her eyes dancing with amusement.

James grinned. “Right.”

Olivia chuckled as she placed the tray on the desk. She gestured to the bag still slung over his shoulder. “Let’s see what’s in there, shall we? I’m starting to get a little chilly.”

James placed the bag on the chair, and raked his eyes over her. “Let’s go to bed, I’ll warm you up.”

Olivia giggled, and shook her head fondly.

James’ smile grew. Olivia giggling was such a rare occurrence that it always delighted him to hear it.

“Dinner first.”

James arched a brow. “First?”

“James.” She shook her head again with a fond exasperated expression on her face.

“Sorry.” He chuckled, and shrugged unapologetically.

He unzipped the bag, looked inside, then pulled out a simple cotton robe. “Here,” he said, holding it out to her.

Olivia took it from him, and allowed the towel to fall from her body as she slipped the robe on. “Much better,” she said, wrapping the robe tightly around her body, then securing it with the belt.

James pulled a second robe from the bag, and slipped it on. “Aiken also sent us some scrubs,” he told her, moving the bag to the floor.

“Good,” Olivia replied, then gestured to the tray. “Now, let’s eat. I’m famished.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Olivia’s eyes opened when she heard the bathroom door open. She rolled onto her side just as James emerged, and watched him walk toward her. An appreciative smile came to her face when, reaching the bed, James removed his robe and stood before her completely naked.

Her body reacted predictably to the sight of him. As it always had, and always will, she thought, feeling a warmth pooling between her thighs and her nipples drawing into tight buds.

“No, my love,” she said, in a soft voice, as he tossed the robe on the end of the bed, “you have nothing to worry about.”

James flashed her a grin, then slipped under the covers with her, and joined her in the middle of the bed. 

Olivia moved into his arms, releasing a happy sigh as he drew her close, and their mouths met in a loving kiss. 

Lips parted and tongues met as they deepened the kiss, slowly losing themselves in each other. Soft moans echoed between them, as hands began to wander, and arousal grew.

“Mmm… James, no.” Olivia pulled her mouth from his when she felt his cock growing hard against her. “We can’t.”

James curled his hand around the cheek of her arse, and pulled her closer. “We can.”

She shook her head. “Aiken said no strenuous activity.”

“Then you’ll just have to be gentle with me.”

A small laugh escaped her, followed by another moan when he ducked his head, and trailed hot kisses over her shoulder. His lips glided back up along her throat to the smooth skin just behind her ear. He flicked his tongue out to taste her, then pressed his lips to her ear.

“I want you, Olivia,” he husked into her ear before taking her earlobe between his teeth. The hand on her arse slipped lower, teasing the lips of her sex. “And you want me, too,” he murmured, pressing his middle finger inside her. “You’re wet.”

Olivia whimpered softly as James slid his finger deeper inside her.

“Admit it,” James intoned, withdrawing his finger, then thrusting two back inside her. “You want me.”

“Yes…” Olivia moaned, curling her leg over his thigh, opening herself up to him, “I want you.”

James nipped her earlobe, before returning his mouth to hers and kissing her hungrily. He pulled her closer, carefully shifting her higher a little so his cock could rub against her pussy.

“James!” Olivia gasped, breaking off the kiss with a shake of her head. “We can’t.”

“We can.”

“Doctor Aiken said no strenuous activity,” she repeated, her protest sounding weak even to her own ears.

“Then we’ll have to take it nice and slow,” he told her, removing his fingers, then reaching between their bodies to grasp his cock. He shifted his hips back enough to flex his cock down, and slipped it between the lips of her sex, brushing it against her clit. He met her eyes. “Tell me you don’t really want this, and I’ll stop.”

Olivia looked deep into his eyes. “Slowly,” she whispered, reaching down to grasp his hip. “Very slowly, very gently. Until we’re both ready to scream from the agony of needing to come.”

James smiled, and stroked the head of his cock down to her entrance. “Slowly,” he repeated in a low voice, a ghost of a smile teasing his lips, as he gently pressed inside her. He leaned his forehead against hers, as he continued to slowly push inside her until he was as deep inside her wet heat as their position allowed.

“Very slowly,” she whispered again, clenching her inner muscles around his cock, eliciting a deep groan from her lover.

James covered her mouth with his, kissing her with a tenderness that made her heart swell, and her arousal surge.

“Love me,” she murmured against his lips.

“Forever,” he murmured back, as he began to move.

They rocked together, their bodies moving gently against each other, James thrusting into her with leisurely, shallow strokes.

It wasn’t enough, James realized. He needed, wanted, to be deeper inside her; to feel her tight and hot around every inch of his cock. “It’s not enough,” he told her.

“James?” she asked, feeling his left arm slip beneath her, and hold her close.

Suddenly he rolled onto his back, pulling her on top of him. “I need to be deeper inside you,” he told her.

“James!” Olivia gasped, as he urged her to sit up, her knees bending to press against his sides until she was straddling him, the blankets falling off her shoulders.

James groaned as the change in position allowed her to sink down fully on him, taking his cock completely inside her.

“Oh god,” they groaned together.

He brushed his fingers over the bandage on her left hip. “Okay?”

Olivia nodded, then shook her head when he grasped her hips, and thrust up into her. “James, we can’t. Not like this.”

“We can,” he countered, sliding one hand down between them to press his thumb against her clit. He grunted when she clenched around him, and stroked her clit again.

“But…”

“You set the pace; I’ll follow your lead. I just need to be deeper inside you.” He reached up to cup a full breast, gently pinching her hard nipple. “And okay, yes… I like to watch your breasts bounce when you’re riding me.”

Olivia laughed, then placed her hands on the bed on either side of his head, and leaned down. “I love you, James Bond.”

“I love you, too,” James replied.

Soft smiles lighted their eyes as their lips met in a loving kiss that quickly grew hot and hungry. As their tongues met and curled around each other, Olivia’s hips began to rock against him.

James’ arms slid around her, one hand splaying across the middle of her back, the other curling around the cheek of her arse, holding her to him when he felt her move to sit up. He eased his lips from hers. “Like this.”

“I thought you --”

“Feeling your breasts pressed against my chest is better,” he cut her off, before capturing her mouth again.

Olivia moaned her agreement, and lowered herself down onto her elbows, as she continued to undulate against him, sliding his cock in and out of her pussy. “Mmm…”

Their lips parted, and Olivia rested her forehead against his.

“Don’t…” she told him when he thrust his hips up. Her lips brushed his. “Lie still. Let me take care of you.”

James groaned as she squeezed her inner muscles around his cock, then circled her hips against him. “God, Olivia…”

She raised her head to smile down at him, and found herself drowning in his eyes; the desire and love in the blue depths mesmerizing her, causing her heart to swell and her arousal to increase.

Unable to remain completely passive, and needing to touch her, James ran his hands over her, touching as much of her as he could. He stroked her sides, his thumbs grazing the sides of her breasts, before curling around her shoulders. One hand slid into her hair, guiding her mouth back to his to kiss her deeply as she rocked her hips against him.

Olivia’s slow pace was driving him mad. He longed to roll her over, press her into the mattress, and drive his cock into her, and yet, James thought with a groan, it felt entirely too good having her draped over him with his cock encased in the wet heat of her pussy. He found he liked, really liked, being at her mercy, and letting her drag out their pleasure.

But he needed to touch her, he realized, and let his hands roam once again.

He stroked her sides, thumbs grazing the swells of her breast.

He curled his hands around her shoulders, pulling her tighter against him, then trailed his lips along her throat. He paused long enough where her neck and shoulder met to bite her gently, marking her.

“James…” Olivia breathed, and nipped his ear in response.

James smiled against her shoulder, then laved the spot with his tongue before sliding his hand into her hair once again, and bringing her lips back to his.

They kissed hungrily, the need between them growing; the desire to come building.

Olivia moved her left hand to cradle the side of his face, stroking the corner of his mouth with her thumb. She broke off the kiss, resting her forehead against his again as his hands slid down her back to grasp her arse, pulling her against him. 

They stared into each other’s eyes, their foreheads still touching. Their breaths mingled as Olivia maintained her slow and steady pace, rocking and circling her hips, her clit rubbing deliciously against his pelvic bone.

“Mmm… oh fuck,” she groaned, feeling the first flutters of her orgasm begin low in her belly. “James.”

“So am I,” James said, his voice strained. His fingers flexed against the cheeks of her arse as he felt his balls tighten, his body tensing beneath hers. He pulled her hard against him, his hips lifting off the mattress as he came with a grunt of her name.

Olivia groaned when she felt his cock swell within her, then throb as he spilled his cum inside her. She ground herself against him, and came with a whimper of his name. She continued to undulate her hips as her body shuddered over his.

James held Olivia close, as she sank into his embrace; their bodies trembling in the aftermath of their releases.

Twin sighs of contentment echoed in the stillness of the room.

“Thank you,” James said, his voice only just above a whisper, as he rubbed her damp back, and felt her smile against his throat.

“My pleasure,” she murmured.

James chuckled, eliciting a muffled moan from Olivia. A soft moan from him followed as she squeezed her inner muscles around his softening cock.

“No more worrying about your ability to make love,” Olivia told him, then muffled a yawn against his shoulder.

James smiled, and nuzzled her temple. “The real test will be on our honeymoon.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. I plan to make you keep you in bed for a week, and make you scream my name.”

Olivia giggled. “Someone’s feeling awfully sure of himself.”

James reached down to pat her arse. “Yes, someone is.”

She raised her head, and smiled down at him. “I’m looking forward to you trying.”

He grinned, then bit back a yawn. “Sorry.”

A tender look came to her face. “We should get some sleep. After all, we promised to take it easy.”

James nodded, then helped Olivia as she shifted off him, both of them sighing when his now limp cock slipped out of her. He stretched out his arm to turn off the lamp, while Olivia reached down for the blankets, and tugged the covers up over them.

In the now darkened room, they shared a deep, loving kiss, then snuggled into each other’s arms.

“Good night, Olivia.”

She smiled against his chest. “Good night, old man.”

James’ laughter rang in Olivia’s ears as she drifted off to sleep.

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“Well?”

James looked anxiously at the doctor.

It had been four days since he’d woken up from the coma. Four days since he’d discovered his body had aged, and that he now looked his seventy-three years.

He was ready to go home.

He glanced at Olivia, and found her looking at the doctor with an anxious expression on her face as well. She was ready to go home, too.

They’d not been idle for the four days.

With Aiken’s permission, James had gone to Six’s gym to begin a light exercise regimen in order to build up the strength in his muscles, as well as his stamina and endurance. While James had been in the gym, Olivia had spent those hours in her office preparing to hand over the reins to Mallory. When he wasn’t in the gym, and Olivia wasn’t in the office, they would be together working on their report for what had transpired at Skyfall, as well as making plans for their wedding.

Olivia looked up at him, and gave him a hopeful smile.

He squeezed her fingers.

“According to your last tests,” Aiken began, looking down at the clipboard in his hand, then back up at them, “your cells appear to have stabilized.”

“So, doe this mean we can go home?” James asked, turning back to the doctor.

“Yes.” Aiken nodded.

James glanced at Olivia again and found her smiling at him.

“However, you still need to take things easy,” Aiken told him. “And I would still like to see you every other week for a little while longer.”

James nodded. “That’s fair.”

Aiken smiled. 

“Thank you, Doctor. For everything,” James said.

“You’re welcome.”

James turned to Olivia. “Ready?”

Olivia smiled at him, and gripped his hand firmly as she nodded. “More than ready.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Olivia signed her name with a flourish, put the pen down on top of the page, then slid both across the desk toward Mallory. 

“It’s all yours now, M,” Olivia said with a smile.

With her signature on the documents, she had effectively retired.

She was no longer upset with the thought of retiring, of handing over the mantle of head of MI6 to the younger man. She glanced over at James who was seated beside her, and her smile grew.

And he was the reason retiring was no longer the bitter pill it had always long been for her.

Retiring from Six was simply the end of one chapter of her life.

Leaving Six, leaving **M** behind, was going to be the start of a new chapter. One she’d only allowed herself to think about on those nights when the loneliness was overwhelming, and she’d found herself missing James terribly; those nights when she’d allowed herself to dream about making love with him; only then would she allow the fantasy to grow to encompass a life with James. 

She hadn’t done it often – fantasize about growing old with James – as the reality of life without him would cut the fantasy to shreds, leaving her feeling more lonely and heartbroken than before.

Olivia shook her head. 

But not anymore.

The dream had come true; her fantasy was now reality.

She and James would have that life together.

James smiled at her, then turned to look at Mallory.

“For my first official duty as M,” Mallory began, “I am revoking your Double O status. Your license to kill is rescinded. On behalf of Her Majesty’s government, thank you for your service to your country.”

“Even if I spent forty-one of them as an ice lolly,” James replied, smirking, as he got to his feet, and held his hand out.

Mallory chuckled. “That as well,” he said, shaking Bond’s hand.

“Thank you, M.”

“If I may ask, what are your plans going forward?” Mallory enquired, slipping his hands into his trouser pockets.

Looking from Mallory to Tanner as she stood, Olivia then turned to James, and reached out to lace her fingers with his. She turned back to Mallory. “The first thing we are going to do is finalize our wedding plans,” she said, “and get married.”

“Followed by the honeymoon,” James said. “A long, uninterrupted honeymoon. Then after that, we’re just going to take it day by day.”

Olivia glanced at James, a tender smile lighting her features, and nodded. She turned back to Mallory and Tanner. “And we expect to see both of you at the wedding.”

“We wouldn’t miss it,” Bill replied, sharing a look with Gareth.

Olivia felt James squeeze her fingers, and her smile grew. “I was hoping you both would be able to work together, but this…” her voice trailed off. “I take it this is a recent development?”

Mallory and Tanner exchanged another look, then turned back to her and nodded.

“Was quite unexpected,” Mallory said.

“It just… happened,” Tanner told her.

Olivia held up her free hand. “So long as you’re both happy, that’s all I care about,” she said. “You’re both professionals, so I suspect you’ve already had _that_ talk.”

They nodded.

“Well, then, if you’re both confident you can work together while being in a relationship, it’s not for me to say or judge,” Olivia told them. “Just know that I am very happy for you both.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Bill said.

“I’m happy for you both as well,” James said.

The two men nodded their thanks.

James turned to Olivia. “Shall we?”

Olivia nodded.

Mallory stepped out from behind his desk, Tanner following, and walked with them to the office door. “Richards is waiting to drive you both home,” he told them, opening the door.

“Thank you, Gareth.” Olivia gave him a grateful smile, then walked out of the office, James right behind her. She stopped, and looked back at the two men. “We’ll email you the particulars for the wedding.”

“We’ll watch for it.”

She inclined her head with a softly uttered, “Gentlemen”, then took James proffered arm, slipping her hand into the crook of his elbow.

With a nod of his own to the two men, James glanced down at Olivia.

“Let’s go home, James.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

At the soft press of lips to her shoulder, Olivia’s eyes fluttered open, and she smiled.

“Good morning,” she murmured sleepily.

“Good morning,” James replied, then ducked his head to kiss her.

Olivia hummed, as she reached up to curl her hand around the back of James’ head, and held him in place as she deepened the kiss.

Soft moans echoed in the quiet of their bedroom.

“Today’s the day,” James whispered against her lips as the kiss tapered off, and felt her smile. He raised his head to look at her. “Nervous?”

Olivia shook her head. “Anxious. We’ve waited so long for this.”

“Yes we have.”

“What time is it?”

“Eight o’clock,” he replied.

“Mmm… then we have time,” she said, then pushed him onto his back, and rolled on top of him. 

James grinned as she shifted, moving so that she was straddling him. 

Olivia rocked gently against him, and gave him a heated look when she felt his cock begin to swell against her pussy. “I thought we’d start the day off on a positive note. Any objections?”

James slid his hands up her thighs to grasp her hips, as he replied, “None whatsoever. I can think of no better way to start off our wedding day, than making love to my soon to be wife.”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

“I give you this ring as a sign of our love, trust and marriage. I promise to care for you above all others, to give you my love, friendship and support, and to respect and cherish you throughout our life together. And I call upon these persons here present to witness that I, James, do take you, Olivia as my lawfully wedded wife,” James said. “I’m sorry it took me so long.”

Olivia, her eyes bright with unshed tears, shook her head. “No more apologies,” she told him in a quiet voice, as he slipped the thick gold band onto her finger.

“And now, Olivia, it is your turn,” the judge said.

Olivia turned slightly, and took the ring from her daughter’s outstretched palm, then turned back to face James. “I give you this ring as a sign of our love, trust and marriage. I promise to care for you above all others, to give you my love, friendship and support, and to respect and cherish you throughout our life together. And I call upon these persons here present to witness that I, Olivia, do take you, James as my lawfully wedded husband.”

She slid the matching gold band onto his ring finger, then pushed it into place.

They grasped each other’s hands, and stared into each other’s eyes.

“James and Olivia, you have made the declarations required by law. And with your vows, you have made a solemn, binding contract with each other in the presence of your witnesses.”

As the judge spoke, Olivia and James began to drift closer together.

“I am pleased to announce that you are now husband and wife. You may --”

Their lips came together in a passionate kiss.

“—kiss your bride,” the judge finished with a broad grin, chuckling along with Olivia and James’ friends and family, as the couple continued to kiss, seemingly oblivious to everyone but each other.

James released his grip on Olivia’s hands, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. Olivia moaned softly, and slid her hands up his chest, then wound her arms about his shoulders, her fingers slipping into his hair.

After several minutes, the kiss finally tapered off, and James rested his forehead against Olivia’s.

“I love you, Mrs. Bond,” he whispered, panting softly.

“I love you, Mr. Bond,” she whispered back.

“Friends,” the judge began, “I give you James and Olivia Bond.”

The room erupted into loud cheers and thunderous applause.

James and Olivia kissed again, then straightening up, they turned to face their family and friends; broad smiles on their faces.


	20. Chapter 20

**~* Epilogue *~**

 

“Did I tell you that we received an email from Gwen and Gregory?”

James lowered the book he was reading, then turned to look at Olivia who was curled up against his side with a book of her own. 

“No, you didn’t. How are they?” he asked.

“They’re going to be great-grandparents in about six months.”

“Great-grandparents? Didn’t they just become grandparents again?”

Olivia nodded. “Their eighth grandchild was born while we were on our honeymoon.”

“Eight grandchildren.” James shook his head. “Incredible. I’m still adjusting to the one we have, and she’s almost an adult.”

Olivia chuckled, as she reached out to pat his thigh. “You’re a wonderful grandfather, and Lacey adores you.”

James covered her hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“Gwen also mentioned that they’d like to come for a visit. They were both thrilled to hear that you’d returned from the dead.”

James smirked. “When do they want to come?”

“Before the new baby arrives. Gwen mentioned next month perhaps.”

“That sounds good.”

“I’ll email her later to tell her,” Olivia said, snuggling back against him, and rested her head on his shoulder.

James turned his head, and pressed a kiss into her hair.

They resumed reading their books, and a comfortable silence settled between them.

A short while later, Olivia suddenly lifted her head from his shoulder. She lowered her book, and tilted her head slightly, a thoughtful expression on her face.

“What is it?” James asked in a low voice.

She smiled. “Our granddaughter is attempting to sneak up on us.”

“Is she now?”

Olivia nodded.

“Care to have some fun with her?” 

Her smile grew. “What did you have in mind?”

**~*007*~M~*007*~**

Lacey crept slowly down the hall, taking care to avoid the squeaky floorboard as she went.

She paused when she reached the doorway, and held her breath.

This was usually the moment her grandmother would call out her name, foiling her plan to sneak up on her. 

Nothing.

Lacey grinned. 

She had finally managed it.

She stepped cautiously through the doorway, then stopped short, her mouth falling open.

Her grandparents were making out on the sofa. Her grandmother’s hand was on her grandfather’s butt, and her grandfather’s hand was slipping beneath her grandmother’s blouse.

Without saying a word, Lacey turned and walked out.

“No more sneaking up on them. Nope. Never again,” she mumbled. She paused in the hall just outside the living room, finally allowing a smile to break free. She turned back toward the living room. “You two need to get a room!”

Her smile became an out and out grin as her grandparents’ laughter reached her ears.


End file.
